Three people have been arrested in connection with the alleged assault and robbery of rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine at a South Florida gym last week, the local sheriff’s office said Thursday.
Rafael Medina Jr., 43, Octavious Medina, 23, and Anthony Maldonado, 25, were taken into police custody on Thursday. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement the three suspects “have been located, arrested and are currently being booked/processed into the Palm Beach County Jail.”
Jail records show the suspects are all being held on preliminary charges of felony battery and robbery.
Tekashi 6ix9ine, whose real name is Daniel Hernandez, was allegedly attacked without warning inside a sauna at an LA Fitness on March 21. (Ed. Note: The preceding link contains violent footage.)
One person filmed the attack on Hernandez, 26, who can be seen lying on the ground shielding his face as two men kick him. In the video, one attacker pulled Hernandez’s hair and taunted, “Take a picture. I want to be famous now.”
Hernandez was taken to hospital. His lawyer said he obtained “cuts to his face and bruises.” TMZ reported the rapper also suffered injuries to his jaw, ribs and back.
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The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said all three attackers would make their first court appearance on Friday morning.
In April 2020, Hernandez was released from federal prison, where he served a two-year sentence for charges including racketeering, drug trafficking and firearm offences, all in connection with the Nine Trey Bloods gang.
He was given a shorter prison sentence after he co-operated with federal officials and provided names of his associates. The deal earned him leniency from charges that could have subjected him to a mandatory minimum of 37 years in prison for crimes that included orchestrating a shooting in which an innocent bystander was wounded.
The deal saw Hernandez labelled a “rat” by the likes of rappers Meek Mill and Snoop Dogg, among others.
It is not known whether the plea deal served as motivation for last week’s attack against Hernandez.