Rapper A$AP Rocky has been found not guilty of firing a gun at his former friend, A$AP Relli, during a 2021 Hollywood confrontation.
Los Angeles jurors deliberated for about three hours before clearing him of two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm.
The 36-year-old hip-hop star — whose legal name is Rakim Athelaston Mayers — risked more than 24 years in prison if he had been convicted.
Before the proceedings he turned down a plea offer that included six months in jail and three years of probation.
As Mr Mayers left the courtroom, he said "thank y'all for saving my life" to the 12-person jury.
Mr Mayers was accused of firing shots at A$AP Relli, whose real name is Terell Ephron, during a heated argument.
Prosecutors alleged tensions between the two had escalated after a fallout over their personal and professional relationship, leading to a physical confrontation.
Court documents alleged Mr Mayers shot at him twice, with one bullet grazing Mr Ephron's knuckles.
"The whole thing was like a movie, he kind of pointed down and he shot the first shot," Mr Ephron told the jury.
"I felt my hand hot. I was hit or grazed. I didn't have a hole or nothing."
Mr Ephron said he was flabbergasted when his former friend pulled the gun out and "mentally couldn't believe it".
But Mr Mayers's defence attorneys said the gun involved in the incident was a prop gun the artist had used in a music video and was incapable of firing real bullets.
Two key defence witnesses, A$AP Twelvyy and A$AP Lou, testified that Mr Mayers carried a prop gun.
Mr Levin said he told the rapper it made sense to carry it after his house had been broken into by a stalker and others.
"Security and I thought it would be a good idea, because of the prior violence," he said.
"It's just a nonlethal form of self-defence."
The artist's lawyers also said Mr Ephron acted so fearlessly during the confrontation — walking toward Mr Mayers and daring him to shoot — because he knew the rapper carried phoney guns.
Mr Ephron testified that he had never heard of such a thing, and he didn't know Mr Mayers to carry guns of any kind.
No clear video of the incident itself was captured, and police found no shell casings or physical evidence of the shooting at the scene.
When the verdict was read in court, Mr Mayers dove from the defence table into the arms of his partner Rihanna, who was sobbing.
She attended the trial sporadically and brought the couple’s two sons for some of the closing arguments.
Fans of the performer who were in the courtroom also erupted into screaming glee.
Speaking outside the courthouse, Mr Mayers said he wanted to "thank God first".
"This is crazy right now.
"I'm thankful and blessed to be here right now, to be a free man talking to y'all."
Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani said he was not surprised by the verdict.
"A$AP Relli was a terrible witness," he said.
"He was combative and evasive. Many cases come down to the likeability and credibility of the parties and key witnesses and Relli was neither."
He also believed Rihanna's celebrity status and her presence in the courtroom was a "key factor in the case".
Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman said his department respected the jury's decision.
"Our office remains committed to seeking accountability for those who break the law, no matter their status or influence," he said in a statement.
ABC/wires
