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Soulja Boy leaving Gucci store in Beverly Hills, California
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Key Takeaways:
- Prosecutors dropped gun charges against Soulja Boy due to insufficient evidence.
- His attorney argued the firearm was not linked to him and called the arrest unjustified.
- The rapper marked his release with an Instagram Story.
Soulja Boy is back home following a brief stint behind bars. The rapper, born DeAndre Cortez Way, was released on Tuesday (Aug. 5) afternoon after Los Angeles prosecutors opted not to pursue gun charges stemming from a recent traffic stop in West Hollywood, California.
The “Crank That” artist was taken into custody early Sunday (Aug. 3) morning after police reportedly discovered a firearm inside the vehicle he was riding in as a passenger. Due to his prior felony convictions, authorities initially booked him on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
As revealed by Billboard, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office ultimately decided not to move forward. “A case was declined due to insufficient evidence,” a DA spokesperson confirmed.
Soulja Boy’s attorney, Rickey Ivie, reinforced that decision, stating that the firearm in question could not be definitively linked to his client. “The evidence was insufficient to establish that the gun was in Soulja Boy’s possession, custody or control,” he told the publication. “Based upon the reported evidence, it appears that he should have never been arrested.”
Following his release, Soulja Boy acknowledged the situation with a simple “First day out” message posted to his Instagram Story, marking his return without diving into the details.
This is not the rapper’s first run-in with the law. In 2014, he was convicted for carrying a loaded weapon in public, which led to a probation sentence. However, that probation was later revoked, resulting in a 240-day jail stint in 2019. Billboard added that Soulja Boy has also faced multiple civil lawsuits in recent years, including cases involving allegations of sexual assault and domestic violence. Jury verdicts in two of those suits have already resulted in multimillion-dollar judgments against him.
As for his most recent brush with the law, it appears the matter has been laid to rest for now.
