On Saturday evening, Offset streamed a confrontation with police on Instagram Live while being pulled over, after a passerby reported that a person inside the Migos rapper’s car allegedly pointed a gun through the window at him as they drove past a pro-Trump rally in Beverly Hills. “Because you’ve got guns out, I’m not finna move my hands from my steering wheel,†Offset can be heard saying in video reported by TMZ, before officers open the door and pull him out of the vehicle. “You can’t just open my door,†he says. “That’s illegal. I’m going to sue to the shit out of y’all.â€
While the rapper was then put in handcuffs, he was later released without being arrested. In a statement posted to Twitter, the BHPD says they charged Marcelo Almánzar, who TMZ identifies as a cousin of Cardi B and a passenger in Offset’s car, with one count of carrying a concealed weapon and one count of carrying a loaded firearm in public. According to police, “the victim of the crime did not desire to press charges for the pointing of the weapon.â€
In a statement to Billboard, the rapper blamed his detainment on “an attack by aggressive Trump supportersâ€; on Instagram Live, he can be heard telling police a rallygoer had “beat his car up†with a flag. “Artist and Philanthropist Offset was detained by the Beverly Hills Police Department following an attack by aggressive Trump supporters,†says the statement. “He was released shortly thereafter. Offset thanks his fans for their support and wishes everyone peace and safety during these trying times. He encourages everyone to get out and vote because nothing changes if nothing changes.â€