American rapper Rick Ross has been arrested in Miami on domestic violence charges after his former girlfriend accused him of assaulting and choking her during an argument over an Instagram photo.
Ross, 50, whose real name is William Leonard Roberts II, turned himself in to the Miami Beach Police Department, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by Page Six where he faces a third-degree felony charge of battery by strangulation and a first-degree misdemeanor charge of battery involving intentional touching or striking.
He was booked at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center and released on bonds of $5,000 and $1,000 for the respective charges. His arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 22, according to Miami-Dade County court records.
The charges stem from allegations made by his ex-girlfriend Jazzma Kendrick identified in the affidavit as “JK,” who said she had been dating Ross and living with him at his Star Island home for about a year.
JK told police the alleged assault occurred on Aug. 28 after Ross became angry about a photo in which she had been tagged on Instagram. She alleged that he questioned her about another man before slapping and striking her during an argument.
According to the affidavit, JK also accused Ross of choking her by twisting the collar of her hoodie until she could not breathe.
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She further alleged that he grabbed her by the ponytail, slammed her against a wall and struck her in the face, leaving her with a cut lip.
JK said she eventually escaped and left the residence. She later returned after Ross had left, collected her belongings and moved out.
The affidavit states that JK provided police with photographs of her injuries, with timestamps that investigators said corresponded with the alleged incident.
She had publicly accused Ross of abusing her on Instagram days before she filed the police report. She shared photos of an injured lip and alleged that he had treated her as a “punching bag” during their relationship.
Ross’ attorneys, Steve Sadow and Bradley Horenstein, denied the allegations and said their client was “wrongfully accused” by an ex-girlfriend whose motivations were unclear.
The attorneys also pointed to the delay between the alleged incident and the filing of the police report, while maintaining that Ross is innocent and has pleaded not guilty to the charges. They urged the public not to prejudge the case.
Page Six
