American rapper Rick Ross was arrested on domestic violence charges in Miami-Dade County on Thursday, days after his ex-girlfriend publicly accused him of physical abuse on social media.
Ross, 50, whose legal name is William Leonard Roberts, was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center at approximately 6:10 a.m. on charges of battery and battery by strangulation, both listed as domestic violence offenses, according to jail records. He was taken into custody by Miami Beach Police. Bond was set at $5,000 on the strangulation charge and $1,000 on the battery charge, for a combined total of $6,000.
It was not immediately clear whether the arrest stemmed from allegations made by his ex-girlfriend, Jazzma Kendrick, or from a separate complainant. According to a report by TMZ citing police sources, a woman told investigators that Ross confronted her over accusations of lying to him and struck her in the face, then repeatedly hit her after accusing her of being in another relationship, each time she denied it. The woman reportedly provided police with photographs documenting her alleged injuries.
The arrest followed a public exchange last weekend in which Kendrick responded to a social media comment praising her appearance by writing that Ross “saw a punching bag,” alongside images she said showed a swollen lip. Representatives for Ross had not issued a public statement on the charges at the time of the arrest.
