Rap star G Herbo arrested in Chicago over alleged illegal gun possession

Chicago police arrested rapper G Herbo Sunday for allegedly illegally possessing a gun, court records show.

The 27-year-old rap star, whose legal name is Herbert Wright III, was charged with misdemeanor unlawful use of a weapon and bonded out of police custody Monday morning, according to court records.

Officers pulled over the Cadillac Escalade the star lyricist had been riding in for failing to use a turn signal at the River North intersection of Wabash Avenue and Ontario Street at 5:42 p.m., according to an arrest report. The officer driving the unmarked police vehicle had begun to tail the Cadillac because of its tinted windows, police records said.

As police approached the car, they saw Wright, who was in the back seat, move his hands toward the front center console, according to a police report.

Officers determined the move was “indicative with someone attempting to conceal contraband.” They then asked the car’s driver if there were guns in the car. He denied three times while appearing “concerned and nervous,” a police report said.

As officers continued to press, the driver admitted there were guns in the car, the police report said. Officers found four guns total, the report added.

Inside the center console, police found a black Glock 33 pistol that was “uncased, loaded, and immediately accessible,” the police report said. The semi-automatic handgun and its magazine held numerous .357 SIG cartridges, police said.

Three other men in the car with Wright were also charged with illegally possessing guns, court records show. Police also found 248 grams of cannabis in the car, with an estimated value of $1,488, according to the police report.

Officers searched a law enforcement database and found Wright had neither a valid firearm owner’s identification card nor a concealed carry license. Police also determined the rapper is currently on probation, the police report said.

Wright was arrested for unlawfully possessing a gun in the South Loop in 2018 after his limousine driver tipped off police that he and two others had weapons. He pleaded guilty to a felony gun possession charge and completed a two-year probation term, court records show.

A year later, he was charged with misdemeanor battery in Atlanta following an alleged physical altercation with Ariana “Ari” Fletcher, the mother of his son.

An assistant state’s attorney declined to press felony charges for the newly alleged illegal gun possession early Monday, the police report shows. A judge set Wright’s bond at $5,000 and he was released later Monday.

Wright, who grew up in a part of the South Shore neighborhood known as “Terror Town,” is scheduled to next appear in court Aug. 1. His attorney did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the rapper’s arrest and charge Monday.

He is also facing federal charges brought in 2020 in Massachusetts for allegedly using stolen identities to make fraudulent charges for extravagant services ranging from private jet trips to designer puppies. Wright has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Federal prosecutors also charged Wright for allegedly lying to an FBI agent investigating the fraud allegedly committed by him and his crew.

Wright has been involved in charity work across the city as he’s risen to fame. He bought a vacant Bronzeville elementary school in 2020 with plans to convert the space into a youth center. Earlier that year, he launched an effort to connect Black young adults with mental health resources.

Last year, the former Hyde Park Academy High School student collaborated with Nike to give each student at his alma mater a pair of Air Force 1 shoes, social media videos show.