Police have reportedly issued a warrant for the arrest of Offset after he allegedly committed a felony.
Offset, real name Kiari Kendrell Cephus, is wanted by Sandy Springs police in Georgia following an altercation with a fan in a Target store.
Offset, who has one daughter with wife Cardi B, was reportedly spotted with the I Like It rapper just days after the incident occurred.
As reported by TMZ, Offset was in a Target store in Sandy Springs last Monday (April 22) when an eagle-eyed fan spotted him and tried to take a video of the rapper.
Turning his phone on selfie mode, the guy – Junior Gibbons – addressed Offset and asked him, ‘what’s up?’ The rapper then reportedly told Junior to ‘get the f*ck out of my face’ before allegedly smacking the phone out of his hand.
The phone then fell to the ground and the screen smashed, TMZ reports. Junior filed a police report last Friday (April 26), leading police to investigate and eventually file a warrant for the rapper’s arrest.
The publication explains the incident is a felony because the phone in question costs $800 (approximately £614), which is the felony threshold. Police also reportedly say Offset’s actions were intentional.
The news comes as Offset is due to appear in court later this month on separate charges. As per TMZ, the rapper was arrested in July 2018 when he was pulled over for allegedly making an improper lane change.
Prosecutors filed three charges against the rapper in February – stemming from this arrest – with Clayton County D.A.’s Office telling TMZ Offset is facing a felony charge for firearms possession by a convicted felon.
The rapper is also allegedly facing misdemeanor charges for marijuana possession and the improper lane change. Another felony charge of possession of a weapon during the commission of a crime was dropped.
Offset’s attorney Drew Findling told TMZ at the time that the rapper didn’t break any laws and police used a lane change as an excuse to target him.
Findling explained:
It’s a common theme. We’re talking about a young, African-American man driving a shiny, beautiful luxury car and clad in designer clothes and watches and jewellery.
Unfortunately people in his genre become a target for law enforcement who think that lifestyle is connected to some illegal activity… and that is a sad statement.
The attorney emphasised that Offset was not in possession of any firearm; Offset entered a plea of not guilty last month, with his next court date scheduled for later this month.
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to stories@unilad.co.uk.
A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).