Footage of the brawl and shootout that led to Tekashi 6ix9ine’s arrest last November has emerged.
Tekashi69 – real name Daniel Hernandez – came face to face with his rival, Casanova, at a boxing match at the Barclays Center in New York City last year.
According to Tekashi’s recent testimony, a member of his Nine Trey Bloods gang opened fire during the face off, sparking public hysteria and hitting a bystander as people fled from the scene.
Have a look at the video released by the New York City Police Department below:
The video has no sound, but it’s clear when a shot is fired as the crowds startle back in shock. Security guards jumped into motion, guiding people out of the building to safety.
Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman, on behalf of the United States Department of Justice, said in a statement regarding Tekashi and the Nine Trey gang:
As alleged in the indictment, this gang, which included platinum-selling rap artist Tekashi 6ix9ine, wreaked havoc on New York City, engaging in brazen acts of violence.
Showing reckless indifference to others’ safety, members of the gang were allegedly involved in robberies and shootings, including a shooting inside the crowded Barclays Center, and a shooting in which an innocent bystander was hit.
After being arrested in 2018, the rapper was facing a minimum of 47 years and maximum of life in prison after being charged with nine federal counts, including racketeering, firearms offences and drug trafficking.
In a bid to lower his sentence, the rapper entered into a guilty plea with prosecutors – agreeing to offer information on fellow gang members. However, his testimony has caused a vicious storm in the hip-hop world.
He’s been dubbed a ‘snitch’ by his musical co-horts. But he doesn’t care – they’re just jealous, apparently.
As reported by TMZ, sources close to the rapper say Tekashi isn’t frightened or even phased by the hate he’s been receiving – they’re all just haters.
The sources allege the rapper isn’t afraid to get back out there and make more music, as he believes – for some reason – that his testimony will quickly be forgotten.
For Tekashi, the sources say, he believes those in the industry that have spoken out against him during the trial are envious (sounds logical) and are afraid they’ll be left behind when he returns to the charts as a superstar (good one, mate).
Despite this alleged bravado from the rapper, there are serious fears over his safety. The New York Times reported that Tekashi could enter the witness protection program – the rapper said himself in court: ‘I knew I was going to become a target. I knew they were going to try and hurt me.’
As reported by The New York Times, Jay Kramer, a former FBI official who worked on organized crime cases, said:
Despite how connected we are, and the appetite for social media content in this country, there are places where, if this kid gets a haircut and wears normal clothes, no one would know or care who he is.
However, in another twist, Tekashi isn’t interested in the witness protection program. According to TMZ, he’ll be rejecting the offer, with sources close to the rapper saying he’ll forgo witness protection as he’s ‘itching’ to make new music.
Instead, Tekashi allegedly plans to have a 24/7 security team – living a life of fame will hiding in plain sight.
In the trial against Anthony ‘Harv’ Ellison and Aljermiah ‘Nuke’ Mack, for kidnapping, racketeering and narcotics trafficking, Tekashi’s testimony turned on a number of people: including Cardi B and Diplomats artist Jim Jones.
Cardi and her representatives denied the claims, explaining she was a member of a different group, the Brim Bloods, in her youth.
Snoop Dogg – real name Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr – has notably taken issue with Tekashi. His social media is full of posts aimed at the rapper, calling out his ‘snitching’ behaviour.
Snoop even brought in Martha Stewart to make his point: the US’ leading homemaker who went to jail for five months in 2004 following an insider trading scandal.
Snoop’s post read:
As we watch Tekashi 69 (or whatever his name is) snitch on EVERYBODY, I invite you all to remember Martha Stewart snitched on NOT ONE soul during her trial.
Baby girl kept it 10 toes down and ate that prison sentence by herself, like the true baddie she is.
The trial wrapped up on September 26, however Tekashi is still awaiting his sentence.
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After graduating from Glasgow Caledonian University with an NCTJ and BCTJ-accredited Multimedia Journalism degree, Cameron ventured into the world of print journalism at The National, while also working as a freelance film journalist on the side, becoming an accredited Rotten Tomatoes critic in the process. He’s now left his Scottish homelands and took up residence at UNILAD as a journalist.