Rapper Jay Rock arrested in L.A. on suspicion of illegal firearm possession

Grammy Award-winning rapper Jay Rock was arrested Thursday evening near the Watts public housing complex where he grew up and booked on suspicion of illegal firearm possession, authorities said.

The 39-year-old rapper, whose legal name is Johnny Reed McKinzie, was arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department at 5:20 p.m. in the 13000 block of East 115th Street, according to a department spokesperson.

The spokesperson said he was booked on suspicion of violating California Penal Code Section 29800(a)(1), which prohibits people with prior felony convictions, active felony warrants or certain misdemeanor convictions from possessing a firearm. It is a felony charge punishable by up to three years in jail.

Information on his next court appearance was not immediately available.

McKinzie was initially arrested in the Nickerson Gardens public housing apartment complex on suspicion of trespassing and drinking in public, police sources told NBC4. He ran from his vehicle and police then found a firearm inside, the news station reported.

In a video of the incident shared on social media, the rapper can be heard saying, “You don’t even know what I was drinking.”

McKinzie won a Grammy for rap performance in 2019 for the song “King’s Dead,” alongside Kendrick Lamar, Future and James Blake. In May of that year, he was awarded the key to his hometown of Watts by then-L.A. City Councilmember Joe Buscaino.

During the ceremony, Buscaino declared May 24 “Jay Rock Day” and said McKinzie had “contributed greatly to the success of future generations by giving back,” according to reporting by the radio station Power 106.