Rick Ross denies battery charges after surrendering to Miami Beach police

Pinned summary · as of 21:27

American rapper Rick Ross, legally William Leonard Roberts II, surrendered to police in Miami Beach on Thursday, 1 October, and was arrested on battery charges. He and his lawyers reject the accusation, and the charges are allegations that have not been tested in court.

What we know

• After turning himself in on Thursday, 1 October 2026, Rick Ross was taken into custody in Miami Beach and processed at the Turner Guilford Knight jail in Miami-Dade County.
• He faces two battery charges, one a felony count of battery by strangulation and the other a misdemeanour battery count, both tied to a domestic violence allegation. The charges have not been proven.
• Mr Ross rejects the accusation, and his legal team says he has been wrongly accused and has asked the public to let the court process run before drawing conclusions.
• He is due to be arraigned on 22 October 2026.
• A former girlfriend of the rapper went to police before he surrendered, and the alleged incident dates to August.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

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  Reports differ on the bond. YEN.com.gh said he is held on bonds of $5,000 and $1,000 for the two charges, Pulse Ghana put the combined bond at US$6,000, and Citi Newsroom said a judge set it at $5,000 in total, adding that he was later released.
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  Reports also differ on his plea. YEN.com.gh and Pulse Ghana said he pleaded not guilty, while Citi Newsroom reported that he denied the allegations in a video on Instagram Stories without mentioning a plea.
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  Citi Newsroom reported, citing Miami Beach police and an arrest affidavit, that the allegations concern an incident on 28 August at his Star Island home in which a woman said he struck her and restricted her breathing. It said she reported it to police on 29 September, gave a sworn statement and photographs, and that investigators also looked at surveillance footage. These details come from that report alone.
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  According to Citi Newsroom, Judge Mindy Glazer found probable cause at a Zoom bond hearing, ordered Mr Ross to keep away from the complainant and to surrender any firearms while the case is pending. No other report has confirmed this.
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  Pulse Ghana reported that nothing independently shows that his former girlfriend's public accusations concern the same incident as the charges.
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  YEN.com.gh, citing law enforcement sources who spoke to TMZ, reported that the former partner called police on Tuesday to report the alleged assault; Pulse Ghana noted that the case details have not all been made public by the authorities.
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  Citi Newsroom reported that Mr Ross said in an Instagram video that he is entirely innocent of allegations he described as fabricated, and that his attorney Bradley Horenstein called the claims false.

Why it matters for Ghana

American hip-hop has a large following in Ghana, and news about international artists travels quickly on local social media. Because the charges are unproven and he denies them, readers should treat claims circulating online as unverified until the court hears the case on 22 October.