Rapper Lil Tjay was arrested Tuesday in New York … again.
The New York Police Department confirmed to The Times that Tuesday, around 3 p.m. local time, police “observed a male waving what appeared to be a black firearm from a sunroof of a moving motor vehicle” in the vicinity of First Avenue and East 23rd Street in Manhattan.
Police recovered an imitation pistol at the scene.
Tjay’s lawyer Dawn Florio told TMZ that the rapper was filming a short clip for a music video when cops arrived.
He was charged with reckless endangerment, obstructing governmental administration and criminal possession of a weapon, according to NYPD.
The whole incident was caught on Tjay’s Instagram Live, where nearly 21,000 viewers followed along.
“Do not cuff me. Do not touch me, bro,” Tjay repeatedly tells police during the confrontation. “What am I under arrest for?” As police handcuffed Tjay, his phone appeared to fall into the hands of an onlooker. Bystanders pleaded with Tjay not to fight back.
Commenters seemed confused about what they were witnessing. Some chimed in with face palm emojis. Others rallied for the musician by writing “#freetjay.”
Tjay’s lawyer did not immediately respond Thursday to The Times’ requests for comment.
This isn’t the Bronx rapper’s first brush with the law this year.
In January, Tjay, whose given name is Tione Merritt, and four others were arrested after police pulled over the “F.N” rapper and found four loaded guns inside his car without a valid license. They were charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and held on $30,000 cash bail and $90,000 bond by the NYC Department of Corrections, Billboard reported.
The group was reportedly on its way to film a music video with Ice Spice, with whom Tjay collaborated with on her song “Gangsta Boo.”
Last June, Tjay was shot seven times in Edgewater, N.J.
During his recovery in August, he shared an update to social media saying “Seven shots, it was tough, you know. Most people don’t survive it, but I’m here. Here for a reason.”
