Lil Tjay, born Tione Jayden Merritt, was arrested Tuesday in New York City during an Instagram live session.
In the session, the 22-year-old rapper was talking to a police officer and telling him not to touch him.
“What’s in the car?” the young rapper asked the officer. “There’s no firearm in the car.”
A few seconds after, the cop told Merritt to turn around, so they could cuff him. The phone appeared to have been taken away from the “Calling My Phone” singer but continued recording as the camera turned to show multiple police officers surrounding him.
People in the background told the rapper, “Don’t fight, T,” and “Set an example, T.”
“TJay, it’s not real!” someone else said.
The live video session suggested that the rapper was arrested for possessing a firearm, but it has been reported that he was also arrested for reckless endangerment. Officers later noticed that the firearm they thought he was brandishing was a fake and just a prop for a music video he was filming.
In addition to charges of firearm possession and reckless endangerment, Merritt was also charged with “obstructing governmental administration for refusing police orders to put his hands behind his back during his arrest.”
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This is the third time Merritt has gotten in trouble with the law this year.
In January, he was also arrested for firearm possession while on his way to film a music video with rapper Ice Spice. Two weeks later, he was arrested for missing court.
