Soulja Boy Arrested on Weapons Charge Following L.A. Traffic Stop, Hours After Celebrating His 35th Birthday at Club
Soulja Boy was arrested in Los Angeles in the early hours of Sunday, Aug. 3
The musician, 35, was taken into custody during a traffic stop on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm, per multiple outlets
On Saturday night, Soulja celebrated his 35th birthday at an L.A. club, as seen in footage he shared on InstagramSoulja Boy was arrested in Los Angeles following a traffic stop.
The "Pretty Boy Swag" musician, whose real name is DeAndre Cortez Way, was arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) at 2:50 a.m. local time on Sunday, Aug. 3, per online inmate information.
He was booked on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to initial reports from TMZ, Variety and NBC Los Angeles. Per Variety, the 35-year-old rapper was a passenger in a vehicle that was pulled over during a Sunday morning traffic stop at Melrose and Genesee. Officers then discovered a firearm in the vehicle, both Variety and TMZ reported, citing the LAPD.
Online records indicate that Soulja was later booked at 6:18 a.m. on a felony charge. It is not immediately clear why the traffic stop was conducted.
The LAPD and a recent legal representative for Soulja did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for further information and comment on Sunday.
On Saturday night, Soulja celebrated his birthday at a nightclub in L.A., as seen in footage he shared on his Instagram Stories. Earlier in the day, he premiered new music on a Twitch stream, several months after he dropped his most recent album, The Influence, in February.
Soulja's arrest comes nearly four months after he was ordered to pay a former assistant nearly $4 million when a California jury found him liable in connection with a 2021 lawsuit, in which the assistant alleged he sexually assaulted her and held her captive.
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Jane Doe, as the accuser was identified, was awarded the compensatory damages on April 10 after she alleged that Soulja violently attacked her. At the time, the "Kiss Me Thru the Phone" rapper told Rolling Stone that he "never done any of the things they're accusing me of." An attorney for the musician told PEOPLE that "the evidence does not support the verdict."
"It is unfortunate that aspersions and misperceptions of a culture were allowed to influence the trial," the statement from Soulja's legal representation read. "Mr. Way fully intends to pursue his post-trial remedies and to fight for a just result in this case."
In a separate statement, the woman's attorney, Ron Zambrano, said his client was "vindicated" and that they were "looking forward to moving on to the punitive damages phase of the case.'
A second phase of the trial will now determine punitive damages, as was reported at the time.
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