Soulja Boy arrested near his Melrose clothing shop on suspicion of felony weapons possession
Los Angeles police arrested the 35-year-old rap star, known for 'Crank That (Soulja Boy)' and 'Kiss Me Thru the Phone,' early Sunday morning on suspicion of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, a police spokesperson confirmed to The Times. Soulja Boy — real name DeAndre Cortez Way — was arrested Sunday at around 2:50 a.m. near the intersection of Genesee Avenue and Melrose Avenue after police conducted a traffic stop. The rapper was arrested about five blocks west of his Melrose clothing store, SODMG Brand.
While investigating the vehicle, police identified Way as one of the passengers. Later that morning at around 6 a.m., the police booked the rapper into the jail at LAPD's Wilshire Division, according to the sheriff department's inmate database.
Additional information on what prompted the traffic stop and who else was in the vehicle was not immediately available, police said. A representative for Soulja Boy did not immediately respond Monday to The Times' request for comment.
A Chicago native and Grammy nominee, Soulja Boy rose to prominence in the early aughts, but in recent years has faced legal repercussions for his treatment of women in his inner circle.
In April 2023, a Santa Monica jury sided with his ex-girlfriend, who sued him in 2020 for assault, kidnapping and invasion of privacy, among other counts. Two years after that verdict, Soulja Boy was found liable for sexually assaulting and physically and emotionally abusing a former assistant.
In April, a Santa Monica jury found Soulja Boy to be liable after a three-week trial and decided he must pay the woman more than $4 million in compensatory damages. The rapper's lead defense attorney disagreed with the decision.
'We maintain that the evidence does not support the verdict. It is unfortunate that aspersions and misperceptions of a culture were allowed to influence the trial,' attorney Rickey Ivie said in April. 'Mr. Way fully intends to pursue his post-trial remedies and to fight for a just result in this case.'
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Pursuit suspects allegedly connected to string of San Fernando Valley burglaries
A pair of pursuit suspects arrested on Tuesday have been connected to a string of burglaries in the San Fernando Valley, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The pursuit happened near the Baldwin Hills area near Jefferson Boulevard and La Brea Avenue. The Los Angeles Police Department said that one of their helicopters spotted the vehicle and requested that patrol units stop the car at about 10:45 a.m. The suspects sped away from officers and crashed into a parked car roughly 25 minutes later near Wall and 98th streets in South LA. Following the collision, the suspects jumped out of the car and tried to run away from police. Officers immediately arrested one of them, but the other evaded police for roughly three hours. Officers eventually found the suspect at 2:30 p.m. Detectives said they were connected to some of the burglaries in the San Fernando Valley, but could not provide further details. Last Thursday, Encino neighbors presented a list of demands to LA city leaders following a string of burglaries, home invasions and the killing of "American Idol" executive Robin Kaye and her husband, Thomas Deluca. "These daily crimes have shaken our community and underscore the urgent need for action and improved protection of public safety in Encino," the community letter says. The letter also called for an increase in LAPD resources in Encino, the enforcement of existing no-camping laws in the Sepulveda Basin, and an accountability plan.
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Police detain 4 people after deadly hit-and-run crash in West LA
Los Angeles police detained four people after a deadly hit-and-run crash underneath the 10 Freeway Tuesday afternoon. Investigators said the collision happened at roughly 2:10 p.m. on S. Bundy Drive in West LA, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The suspect allegedly struck a homeless man under the overpass and drove away. The driver and passengers then got out of the vehicle and jumped into another car. Investigators said other motorists helped them track down the suspects near Bundy and Ocean Park Boulevard. Officers detained the drivers of both cars and two passengers.
Los Angeles Times
2 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
U.S. declines to pursue death penalty against trio of accused Mexican cartel kingpins
Federal authorities in the United States revealed Tuesday that they will not seek the death penalty against three reputed Mexican drug cartel leaders, including an alleged former partner of the infamous 'El Chapo' and the man accused of orchestrating the killing of a Drug Enforcement Administration agent. Court filings showed decisions handed down in the trio of prosecutions, all being held in Brooklyn, N.Y. The cases involve drug and conspiracy charges against Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada, 75, charged with running a powerful faction of Mexico's Sinaloa cartel; Rafael Caro Quintero, 72, who allegedly masterminded the DEA agent's torture and murder in 1985; and Vicente Carrillo Fuentes, 62, also known as El Viceroy, who is under indictment as the ex-boss of the Juarez cartel. Prosecutors from the Eastern District of New York filed a letter in each case 'to inform the Court and the defense that the Attorney General has authorized and directed this Office not to seek the death penalty.' The decision comes despite calls by President Trump use capital punishment against drug traffickers and the U.S. government ratcheting up pressure against Mexico to dismantle organized crime groups and to staunch the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs across the border. A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It's rare for the death penalty to be in play against high-level Mexican cartel figures. Mexico long ago abolished capital punishment and typically extradites its citizens on the condition they are spared death. In Zambada's case, the standard restrictions did not apply because he was not extradited. Zambada was brought to the U.S. last July by a son of his longtime associate, Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán. Zambada alleges he was ambushed and kidnapped in Sinaloa by Joaquín Guzmán López, who forced him onto an airplane bound for a small airport outside El Paso, Texas. Zambada has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and remains jailed in Brooklyn while his case proceeds. A court filing in June said prosecutors and the defense had 'discussed the potential for a resolution short of trial,' suggesting plea negotiations are underway. Frank Perez, the lawyer representing Zambada, issued a statement Tuesday to The Times that said: 'We welcome the government's decision not to pursue the death penalty against our client. This marks an important step toward achieving a fair and just resolution.' Federal authorities announced in May that Guzmán López, 39, an accused leader of the Sinaloa cartel faction known as 'Los Chapitos,' would also not face the death penalty. He faces an array of drug smuggling and conspiracy charges in a case pending before the federal court in Chicago. Another son of El Chapo, Ovidio Guzmán López, 35, pleaded guilty to drug trafficking, money laundering and firearms charge last month in Chicago. Court filings show he has agreed to cooperate with U.S. authorities in other investigations. Caro Quintero and Carrillo Fuentes were two of the biggest names among a group of 29 men handed over by Mexico to the U.S. in February. The unusual mass transfer was conducted outside the typical extradition process, which left open the possibility of the death penalty. Reputed to be a founding member of Mexico's powerful Guadalajara cartel in the 1980s, Caro Quintero is allegedly responsible for the brutal slaying of DEA agent Enrique 'Kiki' Camarena 40 years ago. The killing, portrayed on the Netlfix show 'Narcos: Mexico' and recounted in many books and documentaries, led to a fierce response by U.S. authorities, but Caro Quintero managed to elude justice for decades. Getting him on U.S. soil was portrayed a major victory by Trump administration officials. Derek Maltz, the DEA chief in February, said in a statement that Caro Quintero had 'unleashed violence, destruction, and death across the United States and Mexico, has spent four decades atop DEA's most wanted fugitives list.' Carrillo Fuentes is perhaps best known as the younger brother of another Mexican drug trafficker, Amado Carrillo Fuentes, the legendary 'Lord of the Skies,' who died in 1997. Once close to El Chapo, El Mayo and other Sinaloa cartel leaders, the younger Carrillo Funtes split off to form his own cartel in the city of Juárez, triggering years of bloody cartel warfare. Kenneth J. Montgomery, the lawyer for Carrillo Fuentes, said Tuesday his client was 'extremely grateful' for the government's decision not to seek the death penalty.'I thought it was the right decision,' he said. 'In a civilized society, I don't think the death penalty should ever be an option.' Trump has been an ardent supporter of capital punishment. In January, he signed an order that directs the attorney general to 'take all necessary and lawful action' to ensure that states have enough lethal injection drugs to carry out executions. Trump's order directed the attorney general to pursue the death penalty in cases that involve the killing of law enforcement officers, among other factors. For years, Trump has loudly called for executing convicted drug traffickers. He reiterated the call for executions again in 2022 when announcing his intent to run again for president. 'We're going to be asking [that] everyone who sells drugs, gets caught selling drugs, to receive the death penalty for their heinous acts,' Trump said. Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi lifted a moratorium on federal executions in February, reversing a policy that began under the Biden administration. In April, Bondi announced intentions to seek the death penalty against Luigi Mangione, the man charged with assassinating a UnitedHealthcare executive in New York City. Bonnie Klapper, a former federal narcotics prosecutor in the Eastern District of New York, reacted with surprise upon learning that the Trump administration had decided not to pursue capital cases against the accused kingpins, particularly Caro Quintero. Klapper, who is now a defense attorney, speculated that Mexico is strongly opposed to executions of its citizens and officials may have exerted diplomatic pressure to spare the lives of the three men, perhaps offering to send more kingpins in the future. 'While my initial reaction is one of shock given this administration's embrace of the death penalty, perhaps there's conversations taking place behind the scenes in which Mexico has said, 'If you want more of these, you can't ask to kill any of our citizens.''
