Rick Ross has been arrested and charged with battery after his ex-girlfriend allegedly accused him of striking and choking her during a jealous confrontation.
Inmate records reviewed by the Daily Mail show that he is facing two domestic violence charges in Miami-Dade County: battery and battery by strangulation.
Ross, 50, whose legal name is William Leonard Roberts II, surrendered to authorities on Thursday morning. The arrest came two days after his former girlfriend contacted police to report the alleged incident, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by the Daily Mail.
During his Thursday hearing, one of Ross’ attorneys asked whether his release could be “expedited” because of the rapper’s celebrity status and the potential danger he could face in custody. The exchange was broadcast by South Florida news station WSVN 7.
“I don’t know,” Judge Mindy Glazer replied before addressing the defendant. “Hi, Mr Roberts, I have no idea who you are, except as somebody here in the court who’s gonna be treated fairly just like anybody else here.”
Ross was booked at 6:10 a.m., posed for a mugshot and pleaded not guilty to both charges. His bond was set at $5,000.
Rick Ross has been arrested and charged with battery after allegedly striking and choking his ex-girlfriend during a jealous confrontation; pictured in his mugshot
During Thursday’s hearing, one of Ross’ attorneys asked whether his release could be “expedited” because of his celebrity status and the danger he could face behind bars
After leaving jail later that day, Ross told reporters that he was “totally innocent of these fabricated allegations against me,” according to WSVN 7.
He also said he would be “in Dubai tomorrow, Paris Saturday” and planned to eat “a bowl of rigatoni with heavy marinara Sunday.” He added: “I repeat: rigatoni, heavy marinara.”
His attorneys, Steve Sadow and Bradley Horenstein, issued a statement arguing that William Roberts II, known professionally as Rick Ross, was “being wrongfully accused by an ex-girlfriend whose true motivations are unclear.”
The lawyers also said the accuser “did not even file a police report until a month after the claimed incident allegedly took place,” according to TMZ.
“Mr Roberts is innocent and has pled not guilty to the charges. He respectfully requests that his friends, fans and the general public not prejudge the situation and allow the judicial process to run its course,” his attorneys said.
The Daily Mail has contacted Ross’ representatives for comment.
According to the arrest affidavit, Ross’ former girlfriend said the alleged domestic violence incident occurred on the morning of August 28.
She alleged that Ross woke her at about 7:44 a.m. while “enraged” over a photograph he had reportedly seen her tagged in on social media.
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The former couple’s account states that Ross then allegedly slapped her in the face after questioning her about “lying to him,” according to the legal document.
Inmate records reviewed by the Daily Mail show that Ross is facing domestic violence charges of battery and battery by strangulation
The woman further alleged that Ross accused her of being “in a relationship” with another person, whom she maintained was only a “friend,” the arrest record states.
According to her account, the argument intensified when Ross allegedly struck her chest “several times” and choked her by twisting the collar of her hoodie until she could not breathe.
He was also claimed to have ‘grabbed’ her ‘by the ponytail’ and slammed her into the wall, via his ex’s account as presented in the affidavit.
She accused him further of giving her a ‘busted lip’ by hitting her while she was bent over, and of attempting to spray her with water from the shower head.
Although she was able to ‘escape’ the residence, she then went back and remained there until Ross left, whereupon she also exited with her belongings, the affidavit said.
The arrest record indicates that Ross’ ex-girlfriend had been romantically involved with him for a year and was living with him at the time of the purported incident.
She is also said to have provided a sworn statement to police, along with time-stamped photos of the injuries she claimed she sustained, per the affidavit.
According to Ross’ accuser, she called a friend to pick her up from the residence, but the friend was ‘turned away’ in a moment supposedly caught on CCTV
His attorneys Steve Sadow and Bradley Horenstein released a statement insisting Ross was ‘being wrongfully accused by an ex-girlfriend whose true motivations are unclear’
Ross’ arrest this week comes nine years after he accepted a plea bargain in a highly-publicized kidnapping trial that saw him accused of holding a groundskeeper at gunpoint and pistol-whipping him at his Georgia compound, according to TMZ.
The Hustlin’ hitmaker pled no contest to one count of felony aggravated assault, and, having already spent a week in jail, received a sentence of time served.
Ross was also fined $10,000, but was classified as a first-time felony offender, meaning that upon payment of the fee the conviction was wiped from his record.
He was further sentenced to 60 months’ probation on five misdemeanor convictions – one count each of assault, battery and possession of under an ounce of marijuana, plus two counts of pointing a pistol at someone.