A$AP Rocky pleads not guilty to assault charges in Sweden
The high-profile case caught the attention of celebrities in the U.S. as well as President Trump; reaction and analysis from defense attorneys Jonna Spilbor and Randy Zelin.
A Swedish court has ruled that rapper A$AP Rocky and two other suspects will be released from jail and remain free until Aug. 14, when an assault verdict will be announced.
It wasn't immediately clear from the decision Friday by Stockholm District Court whether the three suspects in a beating case could leave the country. But per a tweet from President Trump, the rapper is "on his way home."
"A$AP Rocky released from prison and on his way home to the United States from Sweden. It was a Rocky Week, get home ASAP A$AP!"
WITNESS IN A$AP ROCKY'S ASSAULT TRIAL IN STOCKHOLM CHANGES HER TESTIMONY
The 30-year-old rapper, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, also took to social media on Friday to thank his fans.
"THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART TO ALL OF MY FANS, FRIENDS AND ANYONE ACROSS THE GLOBE WHO SUPPORTED ME DURING THESE LAST FEW WEEKS I CANT BEGIN TO DESCRIBE HOW GRATEFUL I AM FOR ALL OF YOU THIS HAS BEEN A VERY DIFFICULT AND HUMBLING EXPERIENCE I WANT TO THANK THE COURT FOR ALLOWING ME BLADI AND THOTO TO RETURN TO OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL OF THE LOVE AND SUPPORT," he wrote.
In court on Friday, prosecutors asked that Mayers get a six-month sentence during closing arguments. Mayers told the court he thought community service would be a proper punishment for him.
The development comes after a witness in the A$AP Rocky assault case revised her story from initial police reports, testifying in a Swedish court Friday that she didn't actually see the American rapper hitting a man with a bottle.
The young woman and her friend, testifying anonymously, were questioned via video link at Stockholm District Court.
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Witness testimonies were the highlight of the third day of the trialin which Mayers and two other suspects were accused by prosecutors of beating 19-year-old Mustafa Jafari on June 30. The rapper's bodyguard, identified as Timothy Leon Williams, also testified Friday.
Whether or not Jafari, who got into an argument with Mayers' entourage in Stockholm, was hit with parts or a whole bottle has become one of the key issues at the trial.
Both women who testified Friday maintained their previous statements to police that they saw Mayers and his partners beating and kicking Jafari.
But one of the women recanted what she witnessed with the bottle. She said she heard the bottle being crushed, though she couldn't say whether Mayers' entourage threw the bottle to the ground or hit Jafari with it.
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She said she didn't see Mayers holding a bottle during the scuffle. Her friend testified that she didn't see anyone hitting Jafari with a bottle.
"Everything happened very quickly. We were scared for our lives," the first woman told the court in Swedish. "He (Jafari) was bleeding. He showed his injuries on his hand. He also said he had a sore back."
Williams' testimony closely mirrored what Mayers told the court Thursday , adding that the situation was made more complicated due to the language barriers between the rapper's group and Jafari. His bodyguard said Friday he asked Jafari to "go away" when he approached the group a second time outside the fast-food restaurant in central Stockholm.
"I knew something's not right about him. I'm noticing it because I'm a bodyguard," Williams said in English. "And now, I'm looking at him like, 'Yo, what's wrong with you?' I'm looking at him and saw that his eyes were really glossy, like he's on something."
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Williams then went on to explain the details of the brawl, explaining how he grabbed Jafari by the shoulders and took him away from Mayers and the rest of his crew.
Mayers had also testified earlier this week that he suspected Jafari and his friend were under the influence of some drug, which officials have not yet commented on.
The rapper pleaded not guilty at the start of the trial Tuesday, saying he acted in self-defense when Jafari and another man would not leave them alone. He had been behind bars since he was arrested on July 3.
The trial has created a stir in U.S.-Swedish diplomatic relations after President Trump weighed in to support the Grammy-nominated recording artist. Trump has spoken with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, offering to personally guarantee A$AP Rocky's bail, but the Swedish leader said he couldn't interfere in a legal case.
The case has also drawn the attention of celebrities, including Sean "Diddy" Combs and Justin Bieber, and a social media campaign that was pressing for the rapper's release.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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