Since the beginning of July, A$AP Rocky has been detained in a Swedish jail, after getting arrested for an altercation with a man in Stockholm. Over these past few weeks, the rapper's case has attracted the attention of celebrities, activists, fans, and even President Donald Trump. But despite all of the people who have publicly called for the Rocky's freedom, he has remained in jail without being formally indicted of any crime.
Here's a comprehensive timeline of the musician's case, beginning with the day of the altercation.
June 30: The incident occurs
According to multiple videos posted online, Rocky was walking around Stockholm with members of his security team when two men began to follow them. The videos show that the men were repeatedly warned to leave Rocky alone and to stop following the group. At some point, the tension escalated to violence, and Rocky and his security team can be seen in some videos beating up the men; the rapper is seen tossing one of the men across the street. After a few minutes, Rocky and his team leave the scene, leaving one of the men laying on the ground.
July 1: Video of the fight is posted online
TMZ was the first outlet to report on the incident, posting footage that quickly captured the attention of many people.
July 2: Rocky tells his side of the story
Following the publication of the footage, Rocky posted two additional videos to his Instagram that seem to show the men following and harassing the rapper and his team for several minutes before the altercation began.
"So a few drug addicts are not my fans," Rocky wrote alongside one video. "We don't know these guys and we didn't want trouble, they followed us for 4 blocks, and they were slapping girls butts who passed, give me a break."
In another video, the man that Rocky was later seen assaulting can be seen smashing his headphones in the face of the musician's security guard (who hasn't been publicly named), after the guard repeatedly asked the man to leave the group alone.
July 3: Rocky is arrested
Swedish police arrest Rocky and his security guard. The rapper is charged with suspicion of assault and sent to a Swedish jail.
July 8: Celebrities call for Rocky's freedom as a petition circulates
After Rocky spent several days in jail, thousands began calling for his release. A Change.org petition called #JusticeForRocky generated tens of thousands of signatures in the first days it was posted. Rocky's friend Tyler, The Creator tweeted a statement that implied he wouldn't ever be performing in Sweden again, while celebrities ranging from Nicki Minaj to Meek Mill to Justin Bieber posted on social media about the case.
July 10: Politicians get involved
The first American lawmaker to get involved in Rocky's case, New York Congressman Adriano Espaillat, declares his support for the rapper. Espaillat told Complex that he sent multiple letters to different Swedish and American officials calling for Rocky's release.
July 13: Reverend Al Sharpton made his case
Amid continued calls for Rocky's freedom, Rev. Al Sharpton met with the rapper's family, and hosted a public event in protest of Rocky's detention.
“Reports of the conditions in A$AP’s jail cell and violation of his consular visitation rights are concerning,” Sharpton said in a statement, according to BET. “We at National Action Network are appealing directly to the Swedish authorities for complete transparency and A$AP’s swift return home.”
July 19: Kanye West asks Trump for help
West reportedly asked his wife Kim Kardashian to use her White House connections to ask President Trump to advocate for Rocky's release, according to multiple reports. Within 24 hours of the reports, Trump announced that he and West had spoken, and that the president would be contacting Sweden's Prime Minister on behalf of Rocky.
Following Trump's announcement, Justin Bieber took the moment to highlight that there are other people that the president should be paying attention to — like the thousands of children being held in horrible conditions at immigration detention centers.
July 20: Trump speaks to the Swedish Prime Minister
The next day, Trump announced on Twitter that he had spoken with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven, and that the president had personally vouched for Rocky and promised to pay the rapper's bail.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Löfven released a statement to The New York Times about his call with Trump, saying that Rocky will be given no special treatment. According to the statement, Löfven “underlined that in Sweden everyone is equal before the law and that the government cannot and will not attempt to influence the legal proceedings."
According to CNN, all the pressure from celebrities and politicians has had little effect on the prosecutor in charge of Rocky's case. "The Swedish judicial system is completely independent and does not take into consideration outside pressure from politicians or others," a spokesman for Swedish prosecution authority told CNN on Sunday.
July 22: The other man involved in the altercation is cleared of any wrongdoing
The man who Rocky claims followed and harassed him and his security guard was not charged by the Swedish government, according to TMZ.
July 23: It's reported that Rocky might get financial compensation for being jailed
According to TMZ, if Rocky is cleared by the Swedish government, they could be financially liable for the income he lost during his detention. TMZ calculated that the rapper's performance fee is around $100,000, and he has already canceled 12 shows because of his arrest. Swedish law states that the government may be culpable for lost income during incarceration if the defendant wins their case, so there is a possibility that Rocky could receive compensation for his weeks spent in jail.
July 25: Rocky is formally charged with assault
The musician had a court date on July 25. During the hearing, Rocky was charged with assault, not the more serious crime of aggravated assault. He will remain in a Swedish jail until his trial.
"I have today commenced criminal proceedings against the three individuals suspected of assault causing actual bodily harm, having come to the conclusion that the events in question constitute a crime and despite claims of self-defense and provocation,” Swedish prosecutor Daniel Suneson said on Thursday, according to NBC News.
Per TMZ, Suneson will not pursue the full two-year sentence for assault if Rocky is convicted. Two members of the rapper's entourage have also been charged with assault, and will also stand trial. The trial for Rocky and his friends — which TMZ reports will last three days — will reportedly begin on Tuesday, July 30, according to a statement released by the Swedish government.
This post will be updated.
