US rapper A$AP Rocky charged over shooting in Hollywood

The rapper faces two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, the Los Angeles District Attorney's office said

US rapper A$AP Rocky was charged Monday over an alleged shooting in Hollywood last year.

The 33-year-old, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, faces two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, the Los Angeles District Attorney's office said.

The rapper is accused of firing multiple shots at a former friend in an encounter in Hollywood back in November 2021, reports Deadline.

"Discharging a gun in a public place is a serious offence that could have ended with tragic consequences not only for the person targeted but also for innocent bystanders visiting Hollywood," Gascon said in a news release.

"My office conducted a thorough review of the evidence in this case and determined that the addition of a special firearm allegation was warranted."

Mayers was returning from a vacation with Rihanna when authorities detained him at Los Angeles International Airport.

"On November 6, 2021, around 10:15 p.m., an argument between two acquaintances occurred in the area of Selma Avenue and Argyle Avenue, in the Hollywood Area," read the Los Angeles Police Department statement from the time of the apprehension.

"The argument escalated and resulted in the suspect firing a handgun at the victim. The victim sustained a minor injury from the incident and later sought his medical treatment. Following the shooting, the suspect and two additional males fled the area on foot."

In a later confrontation between the two, he is said to have drawn the weapon and fired it twice, leaving the former friend with what police described as "a minor injury."

Mayers has been ordered to appear in a Los Angeles court on Wednesday.

The "Praise the Lord (Da Shine)" artist was arrested over the incident at Los Angeles International Airport in April when he arrived on a private plane from Barbados.

US media outlets reported that he had been on the island with his then-pregnant girlfriend Rihanna.

The entertainment and fashion mogul behind the hits "Diamonds" and "Umbrella" gave birth to a boy on May 13 in Los Angeles.

In an interview with GQ magazine published in May 2021, Mayers called Rihanna the "love of my life" and "the One."

New York-born Mayers was previously arrested in Stockholm in 2019 over a street brawl.

He was held in Swedish custody for a more than a month, in an incident which drew global attention, and was handed a suspended sentence.