Rod Wave was arrested on two counts of unlawful possession of a weapon or ammo in Manatee County, Florida on Wednesday (April 3), in keeping with arrest data seen by Billboard.
The St. Petersburg Police Division hosted a press convention within the aftermath of the arrest alleging that Rod — born Rodarius Marcell Inexperienced — was related to a gang-related taking pictures in Florida that left 4 bystanders injured exterior of Sonic Sports activities Bar in St. Petersburg.
St. Petersburg Police Chief Mike Kovacsev defined that three of the apprehended assailants (Christopher Atkins, Keith Westby and Kevontre Wesby) are allegedly related to the Younger Gangsters gang and that two extra are within the strategy of being arrested after regulation enforcement found 60 shell casings of ammo on the web site of the taking pictures, which occurred on Sunday night time (March 31).
Kovacsev claimed that the getaway automobile used within the taking pictures was registered to Rod and that the Palm Avenue residence the group fled to was additionally allegedly registered to the “Coronary heart On Ice” singer.
“The automobile they fled in was registered to [Green],” Kovacsev mentioned. “In addition they fled again to a residence at 500 Palm Avenue North … That residence was rented by [Green] as properly. We executed a search warrant at that location on Monday night time and we recovered two assault rifles, two kilos of marijuana and an excessive amount of proof we’re going to make the most of the case going ahead.”
Police decided that “one other residence” was rented by Rod in Palm Meadow and shifted the main focus to that location, the place they executed a search warrant. Topics leaving that residence have been arrested on weapons costs by undercover detectives and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Workplace.
“We’re hopeful and anticipate probably different proof to be taken out of the autos as we do search warrants over the following couple of days,” Kovacsev added. “We went and had the Manatee County Sheriff’s Workplace execute that warrant and we situated a lot of different assault rifles and a handgun inside that residence.”
The police chief mentioned that together with the firearms, cash and jewellery have been additionally seized. Extra costs are additionally presumably looming associated to the taking pictures and narcotics.
Rod’s weapon possession costs listed him as a convicted felon, which his legal professional, Bradford Cohen, vehemently denies. Cohen additionally denies Wave’s connection to the taking pictures.
“[Rod] has nothing to do with a taking pictures,” Cohen tells Billboard. “There was nothing present in his automobile and he’s not a convicted felon.”
Cohen and one other of Rod’s attorneys, Mark Rankin, launched a joint assertion on Cohen’s Instagram claiming that the choose agreed that the proof didn’t assist the fees and that the Florida singer was let out on Wednesday.
“Rod was arrested and detained with completely no proof of wrongdoing,” Cohen captioned the Instagram publish that includes a photograph of Rod. “The police claimed he was a felon in possession of ammunition. Not solely was he not in possession of ammunition, a fundamental verify of public data would have simply demonstrated to the police that he was not a convicted felon. The prosecutor and the choose instantly agreed that the proof didn’t assist the cost and set him free the identical day.”
Rod was beforehand arrested in his hometown of St. Petersburg in Could 2022 on a felony cost of battery by strangulation, which was dropped weeks later. That arrest stemmed from an April 2022 incident involving Wave and his ex-girlfriend, who alleged that the singer entered her residence and choked her, in keeping with the arrest warrant.
Billboard has reached out to the St. Petersburg Police Division for added data.
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