Tory Lanez was handcuffed in court Tuesday during a hearing addressing felony assault charges in an attack on his ex, Megan Thee Stallion, after a judge found he violated a protective order put in place last year that prohibited the Canadian rapper from harassing his former flame.
During the hearing in Superior Court of Los Angeles County, Judge David V. Herriford ruled Lanez – who was charged after allegedly shooting fellow artist Megan in the foot during a drunken spat last July – violated the order through a series of disparaging social media posts.
The Say It singer was subsequently restrained and taken into custody, several outlets reported, with the judge setting his bail at $350,000 – a $100,000 increase from Lanez’s previous bail, which he posted late last summer. He had been free since then.
Lanez, 29, is currently being held by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and is expected to once again post the cash.
During the hearing, Herriford listened to almost an hour of arguments regarding Lanez’s social media activity.
Tory Lanez was reportedly handcuffed in court Tuesday during a hearing addressing felony assault charges from ex Megan Thee Stallion, after violating a protective order put in place by a judge last year that prohibited the Canadian rapper from harassing his former flame
Megan Thee Stallion, Lanez’s ex, says the rapper has repeatedly harassed her on social media over the course of the case, which began in late 2021. Megan, also a rapper, alleges Lanez purposely shot her in the foot during a drunken spat last July
During the hearing, a judge listened to almost an hour of arguments from both the defense and prosecution regarding social media activity from Lanez, including this post from February
One twitter post from February read: ‘Good d*** had me f***ing 2 best friends … and I got caught … that’s what I apologized for … it’s sick how u Spun it tho.’
Herriford ruled that the tweets ‘seem to be clear messages’ directed at Megan, thus violating the protective order put in place by the judge more than a year ago. He was prohibited from contacting or harassing Megan, or sharing any developments in the case.
The order followed Lanez’s Instagram rant in October: ‘[Megan] knows what happened, I know what happened, and we know that what you’re saying and [that] the alleged things and the alleged accusations of my name is [sic] are not true.’
Prosecutors also pointed to a February tweet from Lanez’s friend, social media personality from DJ Akademiks, which said DNA found on the gun that shot Megan, 27, did not match that of Lanez.
Prosecutors also pointed to a February tweet from Lanez’s friend, social media personality from DJ Akademiks (pictured), which claimed that DNA found on the gun that shot Megan, 27, did not match that of Lanez
‘BREAKING,’ the tweet read. ‘It was revealed in court few moments ago that Tory Lanez DNA WAS NOT found on the weapon in the Meg Thee Stallion case.’
The prosecution argued that the sensitive information was given to Akademiks – whose real name is Livingston Allen – by Lanez’s team.
Lanez’s attorney, however, Shawn Holley, asserted that was not the case. He said the YouTuber’s initial tweet was factually incorrect, with analysts determining that Lanez’s DNA was not on the gun’s magazine and not the gun itself.
A sample taken from the gun was reportedly inconclusive, the attorney said.
Prosecutors countered that 15 minutes after his initial post – and after being accused of ‘lying’ and ‘spreading false narratives’, Akadameiks, 30, posted an edited tweet that noted the inconclusive finding.
‘UPDATE,’ the amended tweet read. ‘Tory Lanez trial adjourned til April with Tory’s lawyer telling the court they have completed DNA results from the prosecution which is very pleasing to his client. (I saw this doc myself.. it literally says it was inconclusive in finding TORY DNA on the gun or magazine)’
The 30-year-old social media personality tweeted, then deleted: ‘BREAKING: It was revealed in court few moments ago that Tory Lanez DNA WAS NOT found on the weapon in the Meg Thee Stallion case.’ He later edited the tweet
Not pleased: Megan began reacting to Akademiks on her Instagram Story
‘Be a real journalist and post FACTS’: Megan did not name Akademiks but it was clear who she was responding to
‘Y’all got breaking news 15 minutes before court started and nobody has even been called in yet??’: Megan later named the YouTube personality
‘It hurts im so tired’: Megan expressed more frustration
Akademiks responded by deleting his original tweet and rewording it to say: ‘UPDATE: Tory Lanez trial adjourned til April with Tory’s lawyer telling the court they have completed DNA results from the prosecution which is very pleasing to his client. (I saw this doc myself.. it literally says it was inconclusive in finding TORY DNA on the gun or magazine)’
Megan then responded by calling him out directly as she wrote: ‘”Big AKKKKK??? LITTLE Boy please. Why would you post there was no DNA FOUND but now saying it’s inconclusive ??’
Holley still contended that her client – who wore a black tuxedo jacket over a black turtleneck during his court appearance – did not provide Akademiks with information.
‘If he had seen this document, he presumably would have got it right,’ she told the court, dismissing the tweets as ‘chatter’ in ‘a medium that is almost inherently unreliable.’
But Herriford was unconvinced, citing a follow-up post from Lanez where the rapper asserted ‘Ak is telling no lies.’
‘The court cannot conclude the defendant distributed anything, however it does appear that he violated the order that prohibits him from making any statements regarding discovery,’ Herriford said.
‘U so bothered over my TWEETING out FACTS about tory case’: Akademiks posted several tweets about the case in response
He sternly warned Lanez ‘not to mention the complaining witness in this case in any social media.’
Following the ruling, prosecutors requested the rapper, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, be held without bail or at least have it set at a substantial amount such as $5 million. That was promptly denied.
The felony assault case stems from a July 2020 interaction between the former couple where Lanez allegedly shot Megan’s foot (pictured)
This is not the first time Lanez had his bail raised for violating the protective order.
Last August, Herriford increased his bail from $190,000 to $250,000 for violating stipulations to stay away from Megan, whose legal name is Megan Jovon Ruth Pete. He had made a surprise appearance last month at the Rolling Loud concert in Florida where she also performed, according to an article by TMZ.
At that hearing, Herriford said: ‘We have two high-profile celebrities named as the defendant and the alleged victim in this case,’ pointing out that ‘the last thing I think anyone wants’ is for social media to be used as evidence in the case.
After the infraction, Lanez’s bail conditions were modified by the judge to specifically prohibit Tory from attending events where Megan was present.
A new trial start date for the rapper – who pleaded not guilty to the felony assault charge as well as felony possession of a loaded, unregistered firearm in November 2020 – is currently set for September 14.
Of Tuesday’s proceedings, Megan’s attorney, Alex Spiro, told Page Six: ‘A judge found sufficient evidence of Mr. Peterson’s guilt to order him to stand trial.’
‘Additionally, the judge found sufficient evidence today that he violated the order of protection and had him handcuffed in the courtroom. The self-serving noise in this case will not change the facts or prevent this case from proceeding.’
Lanez faces up to 22 years and 8 months in prison if convicted.