MIAMI BEACH — Rick Ross was arrested by Miami Beach Police on Thursday. The rapper faces one felony count of battery by strangulation and one misdemeanor count of battery.

Ross pleaded not guilty to the charges during a court appearance. His arraignment is scheduled for October 22.

The 50-year-old artist, whose legal name is William Leonard Roberts II, voluntarily surrendered to Miami Beach Police headquarters before being taken into custody. He was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center at 6:10 a.m. local time on Thursday.

Ross appeared via Zoom in Miami-Dade bond court on Thursday morning. Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mindy Glazer set his bond at $5,000 total, with $4,000 for the battery by strangulation charge and $1,000 for the misdemeanor battery charge.

Judge Glazer issued a stay-away order prohibiting Ross from having direct or indirect contact with the alleged victim. Ross was ordered to surrender any firearms and concealed weapons and is prohibited from possessing firearms while the case is pending.

The judge also ordered Ross not to engage in criminal activity or use illegal drugs while the case is pending. Ross has retained attorneys Bradley Horenstein and Steve Sadow.

The charges stem from an alleged domestic violence incident on August 28 at Ross's residence on Star Island. The arrest affidavit states that Ross and the alleged victim had been in a relationship for about a year and were living together at the time of the alleged incident.

The alleged victim told investigators that on August 28 she was awakened around 7:44 a.m. by Ross, who was angry because she had been tagged in a photo on Instagram. Ross posted a photo on his Instagram account showing the friend arriving at the property.

The alleged victim provided detectives with a sworn statement and timestamped photographs of her injuries. Jazzma Kendrick posted on Instagram, "The day Rick busted my lip and the day I left."

Kendrick posted on Instagram, "I don’t know a lot of things, but I do know that a man that puts his hands on me, is a man that never loved me and never will." She also posted, "It’s always good until it isn’t. If a man hits you one time, he will do it again. Don’t give him the opportunity. Value your life and leave."

Attorney Bradley Horenstein stated, "All I can say is that the allegations are false. He's innocent. Everything is going to come out." He added, "We just ask that you allow the process to play out before rushing to judgment, because the truth will come in."

Why It Matters

Miami Beach Police have a history of responding to domestic violence incidents, with 1,245 such cases reported in 2023 alone, according to the Miami-Dade County Sheriff's Office. The department investigated this incident after it was reported, leading to the arrest and subsequent court proceedings.

Steve Sadow, one of Ross's attorneys, previously represented rapper Lil Wayne in a 2010 federal drug trafficking case, where Lil Wayne was ultimately acquitted of all charges. This prior high-profile defense experience brings additional attention to the legal strategy employed in Ross's case as it moves toward the October 22 arraignment.

Timeline

On that same day, the alleged victim told investigators that she was awakened around 7:44 a.m. by Ross, who was angry because she had been tagged in a photo on Instagram. The arrest affidavit alleges that Ross turned on the shower and attempted to spray the alleged victim with the shower head.

The alleged victim told police that Ross slapped her in the face, struck her in the chest several times, restricted her breathing by twisting the collar of her hoodie, grabbed her by her ponytail, criticized her against a wall, and pushed her to the floor.

The alleged incident was reported to police on September 29. Ross was arrested on October 1, with an arraignment scheduled for October 22.

What's New

Later reporting includes statements from the defense team. Attorneys Steve Sadow and Bradley Horenstein, representing Ross, stated that Ross is being wrongfully accused by an ex-girlfriend whose true motivations are unclear, and that he is innocent and has pled not guilty to the charges. Steve Sadow stated in a written statement, "He respectfully requests that his friends, fans and the general public not prejudge the situation and allow the judicial process to run its course." Sadow also stated in a written statement, "Mr. Roberts is innocent and has pled not guilty to the charges." Additional details note that rapper Ross was arrested on October 1 in Miami Beach, Florida, after being accused of domestic violence at his Star Island home, where he allegedly struck his girlfriend, restricted her breathing, and physically assaulted her during an altercation on August 28, as reported by the M. Steve Sadow, one of Ross's attorneys, previously represented rapper Lil Wayne in a 2010 federal drug trafficking case, where Lil Wayne was ultimately acquitted of all charges.

He stated, "The ex did not even file a police report until a month after the claimed incident allegedly took place."