Soulja Boy Arrested on Suspicion of Weapons Charge During Traffic Stop in L.A.

Soulja Boy was arrested on suspicion of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm on Sunday, the Los Angeles Police Department’s Wilshire Division confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.

Wilshire Officers conducted a traffic stop in the area of Genesee and Melrose around 2:30 a.m. While they conducted an investigation, Soulja Boy, whose legal name is Deandre Cortez Way, was identified as the passenger in the vehicle. He was detained and subsequently arrested due to him being in possession of a firearm.

It is not currently known what prompted the police to stop the vehicle or who else was in the car with the rapper.

The recent arrest took place after Soulja Boy was found liable for sexually assaulting, physically and emotionally abusing a former assistant in April. The ruling was made after a three-week trial took place in Santa Monica.

He was found liable for assault, sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress. However, the Los Angeles jurors did not find him liable for false imprisonment and other allegations. In addition to being ordered to pay $4 million in compensatory damages to the victim, Soulja Boy was also ordered to pay $250,000 in punitive damages.

“Today’s verdict is just the beginning of justice for Soulja Boy’s victims, and other victims in the music industry,” the plaintiff’s attorney Neama Rahmani said in a statement, per The Associated Press.

The woman claimed in her 2021 lawsuit that she began working for Soulja Boy in 2018. She alleged that he agreed to pay her $500 a week for cleaning his house, cooking for him and doing other personal tasks. However, she said she was never paid for her work.

The two became romantically involved, and she alleged in the lawsuit that he began abusing her, raping her and threatening her with violence and death.

Soulja Boy is best known for his 2007 single “Crank That (Soulja Boy).” The track was commercially successful and reached the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Additionally, the song earned him a Grammy nomination for best rap song.