Rick Ross, the Miami rapper who founded Maybach Music Group, surrendered to Miami Beach police on Thursday, 1 October and was booked at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on one felony count of battery by strangulation and one misdemeanour count of battery. His attorney Steve Sadow said Ross was 'wrongfully accused' and is innocent, while attorney Bradley Horenstein, who appeared for him at the bond hearing, said the allegations are false. A not guilty plea has been filed on his behalf.
Within minutes of the arrest becoming public, 50 Cent, the Queens rapper whose real name is Curtis Jackson, posted a screenshot of a report of the arrest on Instagram with the caption: 'LOL 😆 ARRESTED.' Ross has not publicly responded, and the two rappers have feuded publicly since 2009.
LOL 😆 ARRESTED pic.twitter.com/ADWKIW3ERL
— 50cent (@50cent) October 1, 2026
Rick Ross Arrested On Battery Charges
Ross, whose legal name is William Leonard Roberts II, was booked at about 6.10am after voluntarily surrendering. The charges relate to an alleged incident on 28 August at his home on Star Island, an exclusive Miami Beach enclave, which was reported to police on 29 September.
According to the arrest affidavit, the woman told police Ross became angry after she was tagged in an Instagram photograph. She alleged that he struck her several times, restricted her breathing by twisting the collar of her hoodie, grabbed her by the ponytail and slammed her against a wall, then struck her in the face. She supplied photographs of her injuries.
Reporting based on the affidavit does not name the woman. Model Jazzma Kendrick, a former girlfriend of Ross, posted Instagram Stories on 26 September alleging he had injured her lip about a month earlier, but it has not been established that she is the complainant in the police case.
Sadow said Ross was 'wrongfully accused by an ex-girlfriend whose true motivations are unclear'. He said the woman did not file a police report until a month after the alleged incident and he asked the public not to prejudge the case.
At the bond hearing, Horenstein asked for Ross's release to be expedited, and Judge Mindy Glazer told him she had 'no idea' who he was. Bond was set at $5,000 (about £3,775), and Ross was released and ordered to stay away from the complainant. His arraignment is scheduled for 22 October.
50 Cent's 'LOL' Reaction
Jackson's arrest post followed a 27 September message about Kendrick's allegations, in which he wrote that he would laugh but 'domestic violence is not a joke', while linking the claim to sales of Set in Stone.
The album, released on 17 July, debuted at No 39 on the Billboard 200. After the bond hearing, Jackson reposted a clip of the judge's remark, writing that she 'don't know that fool', and he has continued to comment publicly on Ross and the album during their exchanges in 2026.
How the 50 Cent and Rick Ross Feud Started
The public feud dates to 24 January 2009, when Ross released 'Mafia Music', which referred to Jackson and a dispute involving the mother of Jackson's son. Jackson answered days later with 'Officer Ricky (Go Head, Try Me)', citing Ross's earlier work as a Florida corrections officer.
Ross had taken his stage name from Freeway Rick Ross, the convicted drug trafficker. Jackson later posted an interview with Tia Kemp, the mother of one of Ross's children, and used the persona Pimpin' Curly in online videos.
The dispute later produced a civil case involving Lastonia Leviston, a former girlfriend of Ross and the mother of one of his children. In 2009, an intimate video involving Leviston was posted on Jackson's website, and she sued him in 2010.
A New York jury awarded Leviston $5 million (about £3.8 million) in compensatory damages in 2015 and a further $2 million (about £1.5 million) in punitive damages, a total of $7 million (about £5.3 million). Jackson filed for bankruptcy protection days after the $5 million award.
