A$AP Rocky HUGS Rihanna After Being Found NOT GUILTY In Gun Trial

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00:00ASAP Rocky made a grand gesture after he was found not guilty on two felony counts of assault

00:16with a semi-automatic firearm on February 18th.

00:20The 36-year-old jumped over the courtroom gallery to hug his longtime partner Rihanna,

00:25who emotionally wrapped her arms around him after the clerk read the verdict.

00:30The jury unanimously

00:58found the rapper, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, not guilty after he was accused of

01:03shooting at his former friend rapper Tarell Efron on a Hollywood street in 2021.

01:08If he was found guilty, ASAP could have faced up to 24 years in prison.

01:13Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hodgman released a statement

01:17following the verdict which read in part,

01:20While today's verdict is not the outcome we sought, we respect the jury's decision

01:24and the integrity of our justice system.

01:26Our office remains committed to seeking accountability for those who break the law,

01:30no matter their status or influence.

01:32Fame does not place anyone above the law,

01:34and we will not waver in our pursuit of justice for victims and the community.

01:40Outside the courtroom, ASAP's lawyer Joe Tacopina spoke to reporters and commented

01:44on the grand gesture the rapper did after the verdict was read.

01:49I didn't realize how athletic he was.

01:50He, in a single leap, went over the jury box.

01:55I mean, the spectator row.

01:57Look, that was raw emotion.

01:58That was happiness.

01:59You know, there was a moment where, before we heard the words from the clerk,

02:05you know, he didn't know if he was going to be spending the next two decades in jail

02:09or going home.

02:10And so when you hear those words, obviously, you know, I know how he was feeling.

02:15We've been in communication the last few hours.

02:17And it's a lot on the line.

02:19He has two little children.

02:21He's got a beautiful wife and he's got a family.

02:24So that was raw emotion.

02:25You guys got to see that.

02:26And, you know, even for us, I mean, it was insane.

02:32So it was just very, very satisfying.

02:34Well, they promised their third kid would be named ASAP Joe.

02:37So that's as far as I know.

02:38I'm kidding.

02:40You know, what's next is they're going to move on.

02:42I mean, they have a lot of great things professionally to do.

02:46You know, Rocky's really at the height of his career.

02:49He's worked with Gucci.

02:50He's worked with Puma.

02:50He's got a lot of things going.

02:52Obviously, Rihanna is on top of the world.

02:55And they have two beautiful, beautiful children.

02:58And they have a family.

02:58And you saw them come together.

03:00And, you know, I took offense to the prosecutor, Lewin,

03:02saying that they manufactured some sort of appearance of a family in his summation.

03:08But I think the jury obviously took offense to that, too.

03:10They're a family.

03:11And they were a family.

03:12And that's why she was here to support him.

03:13And that's why his kids came.

03:15He doesn't know when he's going to see them again.

03:16And if this didn't go well for him, not that I thought it wasn't going to,

03:21you know, so that was it was just beautiful to see.

03:23You know, that's what we do.

03:24We work hard.

03:25And these trials are hard.

03:27And they tax us.

03:28And you don't sleep.

03:29But at the end of the day, this is what it's all about.

03:31That's why I went to law school.

03:32That's why he went to law school.

03:32So you see this.

03:34And it makes it all worthwhile.

03:35Dude, he was way calmer than I was.

03:37I mean, he was calming me down.

03:39So, like, I was more anxious and nervous.

03:42I mean, but that's always the way it is for me.

03:45You know, when something so important is about to happen.

03:49He was really calm, cool, and collected at the end, obviously,

03:51when that jury started piling in.

03:53And, you know, you can't read anyone's faces.

03:57There was a tension that he said, I can't breathe.

04:00And I said, neither can I.

04:01So that makes two of us.

04:03Chad and I have been together 22 years.

04:05I know how he feels.

04:06So it's just a moment of incredible angst.

04:12But when you have something like this happen, it makes it all worthwhile.

04:15It's great.

04:16The key evidence.

04:18The fact that there was no evidence.

04:19I think that was the key evidence.

04:20I think relying on Tarell Efron for any matter of importance in your life,

04:24a decision on a matter of importance in your life

04:27would not be possible for anyone with a brain.

04:30And the jury clearly understood that argument.

04:33And then when I pointed out to the jury that I got detective Flores,

04:36their lead detective, to say without Efron's testimony,

04:40there's no evidence of a shooting, one way or another,

04:42that could be or that cannot be.

04:44That really was it.

04:45I left 10 questions for John Lewin to answer.

04:47He didn't even look at one.

04:49And those were 10 important questions, including number nine,

04:51which was without Efron's testimony, as the prosecutor asked,

04:56detective Flores acknowledged that there's not enough evidence in this case

05:00to say that definitively there was a shooting.

05:02So I was surprised he didn't touch those questions,

05:04but I knew he couldn't answer them.

05:06And that's why I put him up there.

05:07So anyway, I think that's why the jury came.

05:10And look, it was a quick verdict, right?

05:11I mean, they started at almost 10 o'clock.

05:13They had a lunch break.

05:14They watched the video and they had a verdict.

05:16So, you know, for basically a four-week trial,

05:20when I heard there was a verdict, I felt pretty good.

05:23Not so overly confident, because you just never know,

05:25but I felt pretty good.

05:26I've been here for over a month, and it's just me walking around me.

05:30I'm not him, right?

05:32People were just wishing me luck for him.

05:34I mean, he's loved, very well loved in this city.

05:38And I think, you know, he's got a lot of fans.

05:40And that doesn't happen because he's a singer.

05:42It happens because who he is as a person.

05:44A lot of what destroyed in here was who ASAP really is,

05:48who ASAP Rocky is as a person.

05:49He does incredible charity work.

05:51He gives back to the community.

05:52He's really, he's become a dear friend of mine, more than a client.

05:57And that's why cases like this are really difficult for me,

06:00because there's so much on the line.

06:01I mean, I care about every client I represent

06:03to the point where they become family.

06:05This was at a different level.

06:08And so I was just not prepared.

06:09I would not accept any other verdict than this one.

06:11He and I have bonded over the last three years in a way that,

06:16you know, and he's just a different person.

06:19I attribute that to him, the way he conducts himself,

06:21the way he's so appreciative with us,

06:24the way he is with his, I mean,

06:26I spent time with him and Rihanna at their house.

06:29And they're just, you know, as humble as can be

06:32for people with that level of success.

06:34They just, they are really sweet, good people.

06:37And I would have been really, really hurting

06:41if this didn't go the right way.

06:42But, you know, thank God that jury, we had a great jury.

06:44Speaking of family, do you think the jury

06:46seeing A$AP with Rihanna as a family man

06:49and their children helped his defense?

06:51No, I don't think that helped his defense at all.

06:53Look, everyone knows he had Rihanna.

06:55Everyone knows he has two kids, sorry.

06:57I mean, I don't think the jury's like,

06:59all right, we think he's guilty, but look at the kids.

07:01I mean, you know, I'm glad the prosecutors

07:03were focused on that in their summation.

07:04We didn't.

07:06We, the evidence in this case was deficient.

07:09I think that they need to be going after Tarell Efron.

07:13As I've always said, he was an extortionist.

07:15He was someone who we showed committed extortion.

07:18The tape that one of you all said

07:21was really good for the prosecution that we brought in

07:25turned out not to be so good for the prosecution.

07:27It was him repeating the same story

07:28that he'd repeated since day one.

07:30But what it had on there was, one,

07:31him committing perjury to this jury,

07:33and two, him acknowledging he wanted $30 million

07:36and he disappeared to an island.

07:37That's called extortion.

07:39For what?

07:40To get his $697 he has in his bank account?

07:43Even though, if you look on Instagram, he's a billionaire.

07:46But, you know, I'm not suing Raleigh.

07:48I have other things in life to do.

07:51You know, he sued us.

07:53And after today, I don't think that's going so well.

07:55So, but anyway, look, I'm just happy the jury

07:59came to the right conclusion swiftly.

08:00You know, who knows what made a difference?

08:02I mean, that jury, they were able to speak to you guys

08:05if they want to.

08:05I don't know if they're going to.

08:08In both ways, the gun wasn't presented, right?

08:10Our gun, the gun that Rocky actually had, the prop,

08:12or the gun that the prosecution said he had,

08:16wasn't produced.

08:16So I think it was a wash, so to speak.

08:19I think the jurors had to go on the evidence that they had,

08:21right?

08:22They can't speculate.

08:23They had evidence in this case.

08:26Most of the incriminating evidence

08:28came from the words of someone who's, as I said,

08:31whose tongue is a stranger to the truth.

08:34You know, is an admitted perjurer, admitted liar,

08:37so I just don't think any jury could embrace that.

08:41And if you can't believe Tyrell Ephron in this case,

08:44you can't convict.

08:45It was that simple.

08:46Yeah, I think that was a great bonding experience

08:48for them personally.

08:48I mean, I've known them for a while.

08:51Rihanna is an amazing woman, strong woman,

08:56and she obviously was there to support him.

08:58She'd always been in touch with me throughout the process

09:00to make sure things were going well

09:02and privately wanted reassurance,

09:05but she was here.

09:07Rocky did not want her here.

09:08I will tell you that.

09:09I think I said it to you in the beginning.

09:10He did not want her here.

09:12He wanted to shield her from this.

09:14Wild horses couldn't keep her away.

09:16So, you know, you go through something like this

09:18as a family, it brings you closer.

09:20It's a bonding experience,

09:21and they are just two special people,

09:24so I can't imagine this has been anything

09:26but a life-altering experience for them.

09:36Yeah.

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