Acclaimed rapper Rod Wave was briefly arrested on Wednesday in Manatee County, Florida on weapons charges, but released hours later after authorities determined the charges against him “were not accurate.”
The 25-year-old St. Petersburg native, whose real name is Rodarius Marcell Green, had initially been booked on two counts of illegally possessing a firearm or ammunition as a convicted felon. However, Wave’s attorney Mark Rankin forcefully pushed back, stating his client has never been convicted of a felony.
The arrest report had cited a 2017 case where the rapper pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of carrying a concealed weapon, not a felony as alleged.
“If you took two minutes to look at his record online, you would see that he’s not a convicted felon,” Rankin stated to Tampa Bay Times.
St. Petersburg police spokesperson Yolanda Fernandez confirmed Wednesday evening that the affidavit used to arrest Rod Wave was inaccurate, leading to his release as the investigation remains open.
The arrest appears to stem from a shooting incident last Sunday outside a St. Petersburg sports bar that left four people injured. Police had executed search warrants at two homes rented by Wave or his businesses, recovering firearms, ammunition, cash and jewelry.
However, Rankin asserted that the mere presence of the artist’s name on items in one of the homes does not constitute evidence of his involvement.
“That’s certainly not enough to charge somebody and certainly not enough to convict him,” the attorney stated.
Three other men were arrested for the actual shooting, which police believe is connected to a local gang called the “YGs” or “Young Gangsters” that Rod Wave has been associated with. But authorities admitted they do not know if the rapper was present or involved in Sunday’s incident.
Despite his musical success with hits like “Heart on Ice”, Wave has frequently found himself entangled with legal issues and law enforcement. In 2022, he was arrested on a domestic battery charge that was later dropped.
This latest arrest and release is notably another high-profile brush with the criminal justice system for the introspective artist.
