Lil Tjay has been arrested for the second time in two week for illegal possession of a firearm.
An arrest record obtained by Urban Islandz showed the rapper was arrested on Thursday, January 26. He was charged with criminal possession of a weapon which is a 2nd-degree felony charge in New York. The booking and charge information said the rapper was currently incarcerated and is being held at the Eric Taylor Center. The Bronx rapper’s bond has been set at $60,000 or $180,000 partially secured bond.
Lil Tjay’s first court appearance is set for February 14, 2023, in the Bronx Supreme Court. The latest arrest comes just 10 days since he was arrested in the streets of New York while on his way to shoot a music video with collaborator Ice Spice for their “Gangsta Boo” remix.
On January 17, Lil Tjay, whose real is Tione Jayden Merritt, was arrested after police searched and found an unlicensed gun.
The NYPD had said that the rapper was with four of his friends when the car they were in got pulled over for heavily tinted windows and a missing front license plate.
Videos showing Lil Tjay in handcuffs and being escorted by cops were shared online. The incident reportedly occurred during a traffic stop at 183rd Street and Ryer Avenue.
However, Lil Tjay’s attorney Dawn Florio claimed that the NYPD had targeted and profiled her client.
According to her, the police had acted without authority in arresting her client, and they had also conducted an illegal search of the vehicle as there was no reasonable cause to search the car.
Florio added that the rapper was innocent and that the gun found by cops did not belong to him.
She also disputed claims by the NYPD that there was a traffic violation leading to the search noting that the car was parked legally on the street.
Reps for the rapper have not responded to the latest arrest.
Lil Tjay has recently made a comeback to music after being shot seven times during a robbery attempt last year. The rapper had been in a coma and had a bullet lodged in his neck. The shooter Mohamed Konate is charged with attempted murder, armed robbery, and weapons offenses.
