Updated at 2:31 p.m. July 25.
American rap singer A$AP Rocky has been charged with assault in Sweden and will remain in jail pending trial, according to Swedish prosecutors.
"Today I have pressed charges against the three suspects for assault, because in my judgment what has happened amounts to a crime, despite the objections about self-defense and provocation," prosecutor Daniel Suneson said in a statement Thursday.
A$AP Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, was arrested with three members of his team July 3 after a fight in Stockholm, allegedly between Mayers and another man. Mayers’ bodyguard was later released.
The rapper has been in custody since his arrest because he was considered a flight risk.
Prosecutors allege that Mayers and two members of his entourage repeatedly punched and kicked the victim during an attack that lasted several minutes. Prosecutors also accuse the rapper of hitting the victim with a glass bottle.
Assertion of self-defense
On his Instagram account, however, Mayer alleges that the attack was self-defense in response to the man and a second person who were harassing women and hitting members of his staff.
"SO A FEW DRUG ADDICTS ARE NOT MY FANS, WE DONT KNOW THESE GUYS AND WE DIDNT WANT TROUBLE , THEY FOLLOWED US FOR 4 BLOCKS, AND THEY WERE SLAPPING GIRLS BUTTS WHO PASSED, GIVE ME A BREAK," wrote A$AP Rocky on an Instagram post that shows Mayers and his team talking to two men, one of whom is the alleged victim.
In a later video posted by Mayers, the two men can be seen speaking with Mayers and his team. Mayers' entourage can be heard telling the men to stop following him and go away. Later a scuffle breaks out between one of the men and a member of Mayers' team, in which one of the men hits a member of Mayers' team with a pair of headphones.
"HITS SECURITY IN FACE WITH HEADPHONES THEN FOLLOW US," Mayers' Instagram post reads.
In video obtained by American celebrity news website TMZ, Mayers and two other men can be seen punching and kicking the victim on the ground.
Magnus Stromberg, the alleged victim's attorney, told the French news agency AFP that his client's injuries were "serious, nasty and he has been in a lot of pain."
Prosecutors also said they had more evidence, including security video and witness accounts.
Mayer's attorney, Slobodan Jovicic, said in a news conference that the rapper was "disappointed" by the charges.
"He is extremely disappointed that the prosecutor has put the other account [of events] ahead of his own," Jovicic said.
Scrutiny from abroad
The rapper's arrest has drawn international attention, as well as scrutiny.
On July 19, U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted, "Just spoke to @KanyeWest about his friend A$AP Rocky's incarceration. I will be calling the very talented Prime Minister of Sweden to see what we can do about helping A$AP Rocky. So many people would like to see this quickly resolved!"
Celebrity and criminal justice activist Kim Kardashian tweeted, "Thank you @realDonaldTrump, @SecPompeo, Jared Kushner & everyone involved with the efforts to Free A$AP Rocky & his two friends. Your commitment to justice reform is so appreciated," following the president's tweet.
"In Sweden everyone is equal before the law and the government cannot and will not attempt to influence the legal proceedings," a statement from Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven's press secretary said.
Many have also alleged that Sweden's arrest of Mayers is a result of racism in the country.
"I don't want to call the race card but that's what it's looking like. If it walks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, then it's a duck," said Renee Black, Mayers' mother.
Fellow rapper G-Eazy also alleged that Mayers' treatment stemmed from racism, referencing his own arrest in the country a year earlier.
"The difference between me and Rocky's treatment and process in Sweden brings to mind two concepts that disgustingly go hand in hand: white privilege and systemic racism. Let's call it what it is. He should not be behind bars right now. My heart goes out to my brother," wrote G-Eazy on Instagram.
Guilty plea, fine
G-Eazy, whose real name is Gerald Gillum, was arrested in Sweden for violence against a public servant, resisting arrest and possession of narcotics. The rapper pleaded guilty and was fined $8,400.
Stromberg, the attorney for the alleged victim, asserted that the prosecution was not racist.
"The prosecutor has analyzed the case thoroughly and handled it impartially," he said.
Mayers' attorney, Jovicic, also denied claims that the prosecution was motivated by racism.
"I think that my last name is living proof that anyone can make it here and I don't see that angle at all," he said, in reference to his Serbian last name.
Mayers is due in court July 30, with the trial expected to last three days. He faces a maximum sentence of two years in prison if convicted.
