KEY POINTS

  • Roddy Ricch and two others were spotted with a loaded firearm in their vehicle Saturday
  • They were arrested minutes before Ricch's scheduled performance at the Governor's Ball
  • He was released Sunday afternoon but has not commented on the incident

Rapper Roddy Ricch was arrested alongside two others Saturday evening on multiple gun charges. The arrest happened less than an hour before his scheduled performance at the New York music festival Governor’s Ball.

The New York Police Department said they arrested the rapper following a report of a firearm found inside a vehicle at Citi Field in Queens, New York.

Roughly 45 minutes before Ricch’s 6:30 p.m. slot at the festival, private security assigned at the arena reportedly informed the police that a vehicle with three men and a loaded firearm inside entered a secure location at the venue. When the cops arrived and searched the car, they discovered a loaded gun with nine rounds of ammunition and a large-capacity magazine.

The NYPD said Ricch and his two associates, driver Carlos Collins and bodyguard Michael Figueroa, were charged with four counts, including criminal possession of a weapon, possession of a large capacity ammo feeding device, and unlawful possession of that device.

Ricch remained in custody at Queens Central Booking until Sunday morning while awaiting arraignment on the charges and was released Sunday afternoon. He has yet to comment on his arrest.

With the rapper a no-show at the Governor’s Ball, organizers tweeted Saturday evening, “Unfortunately, Roddy Ricch is no longer performing today.” Other artists scheduled to perform at the festival alongside Ricch were Halsey, Kid Kudo, Harlow, Flume, Joji, Tove Lo, and more.

Meanwhile, an NYPD official explained to New York Post on Sunday why checkpoints are necessary for events such as the Governor’s Ball. “The reason we do these checkpoints is for expressly this purpose. We don’t want people introducing guns in this venue,” said the official.

Ricch is not the first artist to be apprehended at a music festival. In October 2021, rapper Fetty Wap was arrested on federal drug charges at the hip-hop music festival Rolling Loud. At the same festival in 2019, five New York-based rappers were removed from their lineup after being associated with acts of violence around the city before their scheduled performances.

Peace at last: To avoid spending more time with his wife, a man in Italy sought time behind bars instead of his house arrest
Peace at last: To avoid spending more time with his wife, a man in Italy sought time behind bars instead of his house arrest AFP / Mohammed Abed
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