Rapper Rod Wave Was Arrested on Weapons Charges After a Gang-Related Shooting

Rapper and singer Rod Wave, who was born Rodarius Marcell Green, was recently arrested in Manatee County, Fla. Following the news of Wave's arrest, many wanted to better understand what he had been charged with and what to expect moving forward.

While some of the details about Rod's case remain uncertain, we do know that this isn't the rapper's first run-in with law enforcement. Here's what we do know about the case, and about what the consequences of his arrest might be.

Wave was arrested on April 3, 2024, for possession of ammunition or a weapon in Manatee County, Fla. According to St. Petersburg police, he was arrested because police suspect that he was involved in a gang-related shooting on March 31 in Florida that left four people injured.

In a statement about the shooting, St. Petersburg police explained that shots were fired among a group of men who having a verbal argument with one another.

The victims were three men in their 20s and a woman who was 17 years old.

Wave was taken to Manatee County Jail where he was identified as a convicted felon — a detail that his attorneys deny.

“Rod was arrested and detained with absolutely no evidence of wrongdoing,” his attorneys Bradford Cohen and Mark Rankin wrote on Instagram.

“The police claimed he was a felon in possession of ammunition," they continued. "Not only was he not in possession of ammunition, a basic check of public records would have easily demonstrated to the police that he was not a convicted felon. The prosecutor and the judge immediately agreed that the evidence did not support the charge and set him free the same day.”

As his attorneys launch a defense of their client, many are wondering whether Wave has ever been arrested before.

Rod has actually already been released on bail, and it's possible that that could be the end of his jail time.

The question now will be whether the weapons charges stick and he is forced to make a plea agreement or go to trial. If he does have to enter a plea agreement or go to trial, it's possible that his sentence will involve some jail time, although that's not guaranteed. For now, then the exact amount of time he will spend in jail remains uncertain.

Wave's last encounter with law enforcement came in 2022 when he was arrested for charges of domestic battery after allegedly strangling an ex-girlfriend.

“This case was a misunderstanding between a girlfriend and boyfriend,” Cohen told Rolling Stone following the charges. “That misunderstanding resulted in Mr. Green’s arrest.”

The same year he was arrested on those charges, Wave became a much more mainstream artist thanks to several successful singles, including "Turks & Caicos." For now, fans of the rapper will just have to continue paying attention to determine exactly how long Wave may be behind bars.