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NBA YoungBoy Found Not Guilty in Federal Gun Case
NBA YoungBoy is off the hook in his L.A. gun trial.
The 22-year-old rapper was found not guilty of possessing a firearm and ammunition as a felon. A jury in Los Angeles reached its verdict on Friday after deliberating for less than two days, reports The New York Times. He faced up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
YoungBoy, whose real name is Kentrell Gaulden, was arrested in Los Angeles in March 2021 on an outstanding felony gun possession warrant from an earlier incident in Louisiana. After officers attempted to execute the warrant, YoungBoy pulled over his Mercedes Maybach before taking off and leading police on a high-speed chase.
When YoungBoy got out of the vehicle and fled on foot, police found a FNX .45 caliber pistol and ammunition behind the front passenger’s seat. He was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
During the case, lawyers for YoungBoy argued that the rapper was unaware of his outstanding federal warrant and panicked when armed officers approached his vehicle. They claim he didn’t know the gun was in the car. Additionally, no fingerprints or DNA could tie him to the weapon and no witnesses testified that they saw the rapper with the recovered weapon.
“I feel great,” YoungBoy told Rolling Stone after the verdict was announced.
“I feel great,” NBA YoungBoy tells Rolling Stone.
— Nancy Dillon (@Nancy__Dillon) July 15, 2022
NBA YoungBoy greeting fans outside federal courthouse in Los Angeles as he waits for verdict. pic.twitter.com/g3GVlk5gQU
— Nancy Dillon (@Nancy__Dillon) July 14, 2022
YoungBoy still has a pending gun case in Louisiana stemming from his arrest near his grandfather’s Baton Rouge home in September 2020. The federal judge recently sided with the rapper, throwing out video evidence in the case because it was obtained with a faulty search warrant.