US rapper A$AP Rocky found guilty of assault

STOCKHOLM (AP) - The Latest on A$AP Rocky's trial for assault in Stockholm (all times local):
  
2:25 p.m.
  
A Swedish court has found American rapper A$AP Rocky guilty of assault for his role in a June 30 street brawl in Stockholm.
  
The artist, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, earlier pleaded self-defense and said he had tried to avoid a confrontation with two men who were persistently following his entourage.  One of them picked a fight with one of Mayers' two bodyguards, the rapper told the Stockholm District Court.
  
The court said the defendants "were not in a situation" where they were entitled to self-defense and that they "assaulted the victim by hitting and kicking him." As a result, the three defendants were "convicted of assault and sentenced to conditional sentences."
  
That means the three face no prison sentence in Sweden unless they commit a similar offense in the country again.
  
The three were released Aug. 2 pending the verdict. All returned to the United States and are not legally obliged to be present in Stockholm.
  
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9:10 a.m.
  
A Swedish court will rule Wednesday whether American rapper A$AP Rocky is guilty of assault for his role in a June 30 street brawl in Stockholm.
  
The artist, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, earlier pleaded self-defense and said he had tried to avoid a confrontation with two men who he said were persistently following his entourage. One of them picked a fight with one of Mayers' bodyguards, the rapper told the Stockholm District Court.
  
If convicted, he faces up to two years in prison.
  
The 30-year-old rapper and his two bodyguards were released Aug. 2 pending the verdict. All three have returned to the United States and are not legally obliged to be present in Stockholm.
  
The issue led to a U.S.-Swedish diplomatic spat.

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8/14/2019 8:26:35 AM (GMT -4:00)