MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Rapper Rick Ross was arrested Thursday morning after a woman accused him of repeatedly hitting her, restricting her breathing and slamming her against a wall during an alleged domestic violence incident at his Miami Beach home.

Ross, whose legal name is William Roberts II, voluntarily surrendered to Miami Beach police before being booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center around 6:10 a.m. He faces one felony count of battery by strangulation and one misdemeanor count of battery.

Rick Ross booking photo

According to an arrest affidavit cited by CBS Miami, the alleged incident occurred on August 28 at Ross’ Star Island residence. Police said Ross and the woman had been in a relationship for roughly a year and were living together at the time. 

The woman told investigators Ross woke her that morning after becoming angry about a photograph in which she had been tagged on Instagram. She alleged Ross questioned her about whether she was lying to him before slapping her in the face. 

Police said the confrontation later continued inside a bathroom, where the woman alleged Ross repeatedly struck her in the chest and grabbed and twisted the collar of her hoodie tightly enough to restrict her breathing.

The affidavit further alleges Ross grabbed the woman by her ponytail, slammed her against a wall and struck her in the face, leaving her with an injured lip. She also accused him of pushing her to the floor and attempting to spray her with a shower head. 

Investigators said the woman later provided a sworn statement along with timestamped photographs of her alleged injuries. Police also reviewed surveillance video from the residence that they said showed a friend arriving to pick her up and being turned away. 

Ross has denied the accusations.

His attorneys, Steve Sadow and Bradley Horenstein, said Ross is being wrongly accused and emphasized that the woman did not report the alleged August incident until approximately one month later. Ross has entered not-guilty pleas to both charges. 

At Thursday’s bond hearing, a Miami-Dade judge found probable cause and set Ross’ bond at $5,000 total. The judge also issued a stay-away order barring Ross from contacting the alleged victim directly or indirectly and ordered him to surrender any firearms or concealed weapons while the case is pending. 

Ross’ arraignment is scheduled for October 22.

The arrest comes only days after Ross’ former girlfriend Jazzma Kendrick publicly accused the rapper of physical abuse and posted images showing an injured lip that she said Ross caused. Earlier reporting had cautioned that it was unclear whether Kendrick’s allegations were connected to Thursday’s arrest. 

Original article