Rick Ross has been arrested in Miami on two counts of felony battery, including one by strangulation, which allegedly involve domestic violence.
The "Hustlin'" rapper, 50, was arrested around 5 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, on one charge of felony battery by strangulation and one charge of battery, both characterized as involving domestic violence, according to Miami-Dade County jail records viewed by USA TODAY. He was later released from the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $1,000 bond.
Ross' former girlfriend Jazzma Kendrick, a Miami-based content creator with a background in real estate, was named as the victim of the music executive's alleged abuse, referred to by her initials and her last name in an arrest affidavit reviewed by USA TODAY.
Days before she reported an alleged Aug. 28 domestic violence incident to the Miami Beach Police Department on Sept. 29, she shared in a series of Instagram stories that she had "left" him after his alleged physical abuse caused her a "busted lip," of which she shared a photo.
USA TODAY has reached out to Kendrick and the arresting agency, Miami Beach Police Department, for more information.
Ross' team denied any abuse occurred in a statement to USA TODAY.
"William Roberts II, professionally known as Rick Ross, is being wrongfully accused by an ex-girlfriend whose true motivations are unclear. The ex did not even file a police report until September 29, a month after the claimed incident allegedly took place on August 28, 2026," Steve Sadow, one of Ross' defense attorneys, said.
"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," he added.
Ross' defense attorney, Bradley Horenstein, has filed a written plea of not guilty. An arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 22, and a stay-away order was entered as a pretrial condition.
Ross, captured on video leaving the jail by TMZ, told the cameras, "I am totally innocent of these fabricated allegations against me." He added that he plans to be in Dubai on Friday, Paris on Saturday, and enjoying "a bowl of rigatoni with heavy marinara" on Sunday.
In the domestic abuse allegations she shared with police, which are included in Ross' arrest affidavit, Kendrick said the incident stemmed from Ross being "enraged she was tagged in a photo on Instagram." She and Ross were "in a relationship for approximately one year and resided together at the time of the incident," police described.
Ross allegedly accused her of lying to him about not being involved with another unnamed person and slapped and struck her as she repeatedly denied his allegations. She also accused him of choking her and slamming her against a wall.
According to police, she "provided photographic evidence of her injuries with time stamps." Ross "surrendered himself voluntarily" at the police station on Oct. 1 and did not provide a statement.
Rick Ross' relationships, prior prison time for assault
The rapper has been romantically linked to Kendrick, model Lira "Galore" Mercer, fitness model Briana Camille and entrepreneur Cristina Mackey. He has five children from previous relationships: Toie, 24; William III, 21; Berkeley Hermès, 9; Billion Leonard, 7; and Bliss Roberts, 6.
The "Aston Martin Music" rapper has faced assault allegations before. In 2015, he and a bodyguard were arrested in Georgia on kidnapping and assault charges, after both were accused of forcing a groundskeeper into a guesthouse and beating him in the head with a handgun over money he owed the rapper.
Two years later, Ross pleaded no contest to a felony count of aggravated assault and five misdemeanors – assault, battery, cannabis possession and two counts of pointing a pistol at someone – and was sentenced to 60 months' probation and was required to pay a $10,000 fine. Since he was a first-time felony offender, the conviction was eventually erased from his record.
He has also faced gun and marijuana charges.
Source: USA TODAY