Rick Ross was arrested by Miami Beach police early Thursday, Oct. 1, on domestic violence charges. The rapper, whose legal name is William Leonard Roberts, faces one felony count of battery by strangulation and one misdemeanor count of battery, according to county jail and court records. He was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center shortly after 6 a.m.
Bond was set at $6,000, with $5,000 on the felony and $1,000 on the misdemeanor. His arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 22. His attorney, Bradley Horenstein, says the allegations are false and that Ross is innocent, and he is asking the public to let the legal process play out before judging.
Police have not said when or where the alleged incident happened or who the alleged victim is. But the charge on his booking record carries a detail of its own, and most early reports skipped right past it.
What exactly is Rick Ross charged with?
Ross faces two counts, and records flag both as domestic violence. The felony is battery by strangulation. The second count is simple battery, a misdemeanor.
An early report said bond had not yet been posted and that Ross remained in custody. CBS News Miami has requested the arrest report from Miami Beach police and the state attorney’s office. Ross has not commented publicly on the arrest.
Who is Jazzma Kendrick and what did she say?
Days before the arrest, Ross’ former girlfriend Jazzma Kendrick accused him on social media of physically abusing her. Kendrick, a 39-year-old model, dated Ross on and off over the past year. She made the claim while replying to a fan who complimented her looks, posting photos she said showed the day Ross split her lip and the day she walked away.
She said the incident happened about a month earlier. Ross had not publicly responded to her claims. It is not clear whether her allegations are connected to Thursday’s arrest.
Why does this case hit so hard in hip hop?
Ross is not a fringe name. He grew up in Carol City, broke through in 2005 with Hustlin‘, earned Grammy nominations and has placed dozens of songs on the Billboard Hot 100 across two decades. In South Florida, he has long been a hometown success story.
That makes the conversation around this case familiar and uncomfortable. Black women who speak up about abuse are often doubted, mocked or labeled clout chasers before any facts come out. Famous men often get the benefit of the doubt. Both people here deserve fairness. Kendrick deserves to be heard, and Ross is presumed innocent until a court says otherwise. The comment section is not a courtroom.
Why does Florida treat strangulation as a felony?
Florida charges battery by strangulation as a third degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison. Lawmakers singled it out because researchers consider strangulation one of the most dangerous warning signs in an abusive relationship. A 2008 study in the Journal of Emergency Medicine found that women previously strangled by a partner were about seven times more likely to later be killed by that partner.
None of that tells us what happened in this case. It explains why the charge carries serious weight even with a modest bond.
What does the charge reveal that police have not?
Under Florida law, the felony strangulation charge applies only when the alleged victim is a family or household member, or someone in a dating relationship with the accused. Police have not named the alleged victim or described how that person knows Ross.
The statute narrows the possibilities. It does not identify anyone, and it does not confirm that Kendrick is the person involved. The arrest report should fill in the rest. Until it does, the most telling document in this case is the charge itself.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is available at 800 799 7233.
