The defense further alleged that law enforcement didn’t properly document where the items were discovered inside the car, stating, “They didn’t take photographs to show exactly where items were all found. Describing the body cam footage, the defense further attempted to poke holes in the prosecution’s assertion about the position of the gun by noting that it appeared an officer in question was “rummaging through something” during a search of the backseat of the vehicle on the driver’s side, but that “never once at that point does notify anyone that he sees a gun.” In its opening statement, the prosecution explained that during a search of the full car, the loaded gun was discovered along with Youngboy’s ID, credit cards and “half a million dollars worth of expensive watches, jewelry, much of which was custom made for the defendant with his rap logo.”īut the defense noted that despite the indictment stating that the tan-colored gun was discovered on the floor behind the front passenger’s seat of the car, multiple people searched the Maybach before the gun was found - something they described as unlikely given how prominent the firearm would have been against the car’s black carpet. He was ultimately discovered hours later near the backyard of a stranger’s home in Tarzana and his car was searched by law enforcement. Soon after, Youngboy abandoned his car and began to run away on foot. To indicate the danger this posed to the public, the prosecution noted the bump was positioned as Youngboy “approached an elementary school and passed a middle school.” In their dueling opening statements, the prosecution and the defense both noted the speed of the Maybach as it raced down the street - and that the car caught air after hitting a speed bump. “Police officers are moving towards the front with hands on their weapons,” the defense continued, adding that it was at this moment that Youngboy fled in his car, not understanding why he’d been pulled over or that there was a warrant out for his arrest. They went on to state that the indictment doesn’t mention that it was “4, 5, 6, 7 police cars marked and unmarked all pulled up behind him,” which they say can also be seen in the body cam footage. This isn’t where they go up and ask for his license, his registration… they’re talking to him on a megaphone,” said the defense. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana had charged Youngboy with this violation and issued a warrant for his arrest soon after, law enforcement got a search warrant for Youngboy’s cell phone and tracked him to Tarzana.Īccording to the indictment, LAPD officers surveilled Youngboy as he got into his new Mercedes GLS 200 Maybach, which had been purchased just over a week before, and then tried to pull him over, using marked police cars with sirens and lights.īut in their opening statement, the defense argued that a policeman’s body camera will show that, after complying with officers, pulling over for them and showing his hands, the cops took “defensive positions behind the doors of both cars.” The possession charge at issue in the case stems from Youngboy’s previous felony conviction for aggravated assault with a firearm, which prevents him from possessing firearms and ammunition. Courthouse in Downtown Los Angeles and included jury selection and opening arguments by the prosecution and defense lawyers. trial, which took place at Roybal Federal Building and U.S. The judge’s ruling marked a highlight of the first day of Youngboy’s L.A. In their own filing rebutting the prosecution’s request, defense lawyers had said that allowing the lyrics as evidence would be “highly prejudicial as they discuss hardcore rap which has been empirically established to be more negatively received than other genres of music” and that the lyrics “offer very minimal probative value and are substantially outweighed by the prejudice contained within the words of the songs.” Their argument echoes the growing controversy around rap lyrics being cited in criminal cases against such hip-hop artists as Young Thug, Gunna, Drakeo the Ruler and Bobby Shmurda in recent years. John Lennon's Killer Denied Parole for 12th TimeĪmong other lines, prosecutors had argued that the lyric “FN, Glock, MAC-10s” from “Gunsmoke” demonstrates the rapper’s “familiarity and knowledge of FN, the high-end manufacturer of the gun found in defendant’s car that he denies knowingly possessing,” according to a court filing on Monday (July 11).
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