Rick Ross has been taken into custody on domestic-violence charges in Florida.
The rapper was apprehended by Miami Beach police in the early hours of Thursday on domestic-violence accusations, including a felony count of battery by strangulation, according to records from the Miami-Dade jail and the court system.
The 50-year-old artist, whose legal name is William Leonard Roberts, was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center at 6:10 a.m.
He faces two domestic-violence-related charges, comprising one felony battery by strangulation and one misdemeanor battery.
The performer reportedly surrendered to authorities on Thursday after an ex-girlfriend alerted them on Tuesday, alleging an incident on 28 August.
The woman allegedly informed investigators that Ross woke her while she was sleeping and acted violently in a jealous frenzy over a photo she had been tagged in on social media, according to TMZ.
According to the allegations, Ross is said to have slapped the woman, struck her chest several times, choked her to the point where she could not breathe, grabbed her by the ponytail and slammed her against a wall.
The rapper has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
His lawyers Steve Sadow and Bradley Horenstein told TMZ that Ross is being “wrongfully accused” by an ex-girlfriend.
“Mr. Roberts is innocent and has pled not guilty to the charges. He respectfully requests that his friends, fans and the general public not prejudge the situation and allow the judicial process to run its course,” they said.
The arrest comes days after Ross’s former girlfriend, Jazzma Kendrick, publicly accused him of physical abuse; however, it’s unclear whether the two incidents are connected.
Ross is being held on bonds of $5,000 (£3,780) and $1,000 (£760), with his arraignment reportedly scheduled for 22 October.
