A$AP RockyA$AP Rocky has told a Swedish court he tried to "defuse" an altercation with two men last month which resulted in an assault charge against the US rapper.
Videos posted online a few weeks ago showed the hip hop artist (real name Rakim Mayers) throwing a man to the ground in a street in Stockholm, however he has maintained his innocence, alleging on Instagram that the two men he was involved in the altercation with were following him and his entourage.
As Reuters reports, Mayers, who has been in custody since 3 July, told the court he tried to avoid the men who approached him.
“We wanted to defuse the situation and get away from these guys,” Mayers said.
The 30-year-old alleged he only intervened after the two men attacked his bodyguard.
“At this point I intervened. I threw him to the ground, and stepped on his arm, I kicked his arm and I punched or shoved him,” he said.
According to TMZ, prosecutors allege Mayers hit one of the men with a bottle and recorded the incident on his phone before deleting it, however he has denied the allegation.
"I have spent a month in Sweden. This is my fifth or sixth time here," Mayers said.
"I have seen the most beautiful architecture and the not-so-nice things... what I want is justice. I want my name to be cleared. Justice for all of us."
The rapper's trial has garnered global attention, with US President Donald Trump even urging Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven to free Mayers.
The trial continues.
