Los Angeles Police Department officers arrested Grammy award-winning rapper Jay Rock just before 5:30 pm Thursday in Watts.
Video footage captured by Glock Topickz showed the famous artist with his hands behind his back as several police officers attempted to get him to walk to the police vehicle. Jay Rock steadied himself as police dragged him away in front of a crowd that had gathered. Police officers told TMZ they requested backup to control the large crowd and claimed the rapper was trespassing at the Nickerson Gardens housing project. According to police, he attempted to flee as they moved to detain him, but was quickly stopped. A search of his vehicle allegedly uncovered a firearm—an item he’s legally prohibited from possessing as a convicted felon, according to TMZ.
Police say Jay Rock was “trespassing” and when they tried to detain him he tried to flee https://t.co/2kQylsOrL1 pic.twitter.com/zalWzp0qQK
— Glock Topickz (@Glock_Topickz) March 14, 2025
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JULY 18: Jay Rock attends the TDE Pool Party at a private residence on July 18, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jerritt Clark/Getty Images)
Bystanders supported the rapper as police surrounded him. Someone in the video shouted, “the man didn’t do nothin’ bro,” and another person said “he ain’t driving.”
Jay Rock was seen exchanging words with the officers, though the conversation was not clearly audible in the recording.
Jay Rock was charged with felony possession of a firearm, and his car was impounded. It’s not clear if he’s still in police custody or if he has since been released.
The popular rapper is signed to Top Dawg Entertainment and is a heavy-hitter in the West Coast rap scene. He’s best known from his former days as a member of the now-defunct hip hop group Black Hippy with Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q and Ab-Soul. (RELATED: Feds Reportedly Raided Tekashi 6ix9ine’s Mansion, Forced DNA Test)
Jay Rock won a Grammy Award for his song “King’s Dead” in 2019.
This article was originally published at dailycaller.com