Tory Lanez Faces a New Felony Charge As Megan Thee Stallion Assault Trial Begins [UPDATED]
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Updated as of 12/6/2022 at 4:55 p.m. ET:
Another one [DJ Khaled voice]. Just a day after Tory Lanez was released from house arrest, he was also hit with a new felony charge in the Megan Thee Stallion assault case. On Tuesday, Rolling Stone reported that prosecuting attorneys added a charge of discharging a firearm with gross negligence. This new charge carries a six-year prison sentence if convicted.
Read more
Aside from Halle Bailey, Here Are Other Black Disney Actors and Characters We Love
The Best TV Series, Movies of 2022 to Binge Before the Year Ends
Megan Thee Stallion Becomes 1st Black Woman to Land Forbes 30 Under 30 Cover
Along with this new felony charge, Lanez also faces one felony count of assault with a semiautomatic firearm that caused bodily injury and one count of carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle. If he’s found guilty on all counts, Lanez still faces the previous maximum sentence of 22 years and eight months.
According to Rolling Stone, the new charge won’t add to his sentence since it’s still associated with the crimes Lanez is being accused of.
This revelation comes just as he goes to trial for charges that he allegedly shot rapper Megan Thee Stallion in the feet in July 2020. Over the last six months, the trial has been pushed back multiple times until this past October, when it was settled that the trial would start between Nov. 28 and Dec. 8.
Before being placed on house arrest, Lanez had already found himself in legal trouble multiple times this year. In late September, he was accused by R&B singer August Alsina of assaulting him along with his bodyguards at a local Chicago theater, all because Alsina allegedly did not shake Lanez’s hand when they ran into each other
In October, a lawsuit was filed against Lanez by a pregnant woman and her partner alleging that the singer was involved in a hit-and-run in Miami on New Year’s Day in 2021.
According to Rolling Stone, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge David Herriford ended the house arrest because he said it would be difficult for Lanez’s attorney to communicate with an inaccessible client. His $350,000 bond in the case, however, will stand.
More from Rolling Stone:
Deputy District Attorney Kathy Ta fought the court’s decision, arguing that Lanez, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, allegedly tried to “sway” or “intimidate” witnesses previously in the case. She said once testimony begins and everyone is in the same jurisdiction, witnesses might have their “concerns magnified” and “fear” being “in reach of him.”
“We have a couple witnesses, not just one,” who might be affected, Ta said, asking the judge to at least force Peterson to keep his ankle monitor. The judge took some time to consider the follow-up request but ruled during the afternoon session that Peterson could ditch his tracking device too.
Furthermore, on Monday, it was revealed that reality TV stars Kylie Jenner and Corey Gamble, Kris Jenner’s boyfriend, were on the defense’s witness list since they were at the pool party at Kylie’s house before the alleged shooting, according to Rolling Stone.
Although he’s no longer on house arrest, Lanez is banned from trying to contact the Traumazine rapper in any manner, according to Rolling Stone.
More from The Root
Sign up for The Root's Newsletter. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
