Rick Ross arrested on battery charge in Miami
FILE-Rapper Rick Ross attends Rick Ross "Set In Stone" Signing & Release Celebration at DBS Sounds on July 21, 2026 in Riverdale, Georgia. (Photo by Prince Williams/WireImage/Getty Images)
Rick Ross was arrested Thursday morning in Miami Beach on two battery charges after his ex-girlfriend called police earlier this week alleging that he was violent with her, TMZ reported, citing law enforcement sources.
Ross, whose real name is William Leonard Roberts, faces charges of felony battery by strangulation and misdemeanor battery, according to TMZ.
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The rapper’s arrest comes a few days after Jazzma Kendrick, his former girlfriend, made a post on Instagram publicly accusing him of physically abusing her, Local10 News in Miami reported.
Rick Ross’ attorneys release statement
What they're saying:
TMZ obtained a statement from Rick Ross' attorneys, Steve Sadow and Bradley Horenstein, who wrote the following: "William Roberts II, professionally known as Rick Ross, is being wrongfully accused by an ex-girlfriend whose true motivations are unclear. The ex did not even file a police report until a month after the claimed incident allegedly took place. Mr. Roberts is innocent and has pled not guilty to the charges. He respectfully requests that his friends, fans and the general public not prejudge the situation and allow the judicial process to run its course."
Rick Ross arrested
Dig deeper:
In a Miami Beach Police Department arrest report, obtained by Local10 News, Jazzma Kendrick went to the police department on Sept. 29 to report a domestic violence incident she alleged happened a month earlier on Aug. 28, 2026.
Authorities in the report stated that Kendrick and Ross were in a relationship for a year and lived together at the time of the alleged incident.
Kendrick claimed that Ross woke her up on Aug. 28 and was angry she was tagged in a photo on Instagram. The report noted that Ross questioned Kendrick, accusing her of lying to him and then allegedly slapped her in the face.
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Ross accused Kendrick of involvement with a man she claimed was just a friend. According to the report, the rapper followed Kendrick around as he questioned her and allegedly hit her each time, she denied Ross’ allegations.
Police stated in the report that the rapper hit Kendrick several times in the chest and choked her to the extent that she couldn’t breathe by grabbing the collar of her hoodie and twisting it.
Ross then allegedly grabbed Kendrick by her ponytail and slammed her into a wall before hitting her in the face while she was bent over, leaving her with a "busted lip," according to authorities in the report.
The rapper then allegedly pushed Kendrick to the floor of a bathroom, grabbed the shower head and attempted to spray her with water.
Kendrick was able to escape from the bathroom and leave Ross’ home. The report stated that she returned to the home and waited for the rapper to leave before she collected her belongings and left the residence again.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by LocalNews 10, which obtained an arrest report from police in the Rick Ross case, and TMZ, which obtained a statement from the rapper’s lawyer. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.