Yak Gotti, one of the two men who were indicted alongside Young Thug and was awaiting a jury verdict, has reportedly been stabbed in jail.
The incident took place over the weekend, and attorney Doug Weinstein confirmed that his client Deamonte Kendrick, who raps under the name Yak Gotti, was injured on Sunday (December 1).
It comes as he, along with YSL compatriots Young Thug and Gunna, were dragged into legal proceedings in 2022, when the YSL braintrust was indicted on RICO charges.
Both Gunna and Young Thug have gone on to accept plea deals and go free, but Gotti remains on trial and in the custody of Fulton County (as per Stereogum).
According to Channel 2 Action News, he was stabbed in jail and suffered minor injuries.
“Deamonte Kendrick, also known as rapper Yak Gotti, and another jail resident were in a physical altercation on Sunday December 1. Kendrick received treatment for minor injuries from a sharp object at the Fulton County Jail,” read a statement from the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office on Monday (December 2).
“The incident occurred at the South Annex in Union City where both men were being housed. Kendrick will be in court today. This is an active investigation to determine the aggressor in this incident and if charges will be pending.”
Rapper Yak Gotti in 2021. CREDIT: Paras Griffin/Getty Images
He went on to appear in court yesterday, where jurors returned and deliberated whether to convict Kendrick and defendant Shannon Stillwell on gang, murder, drug and gun charges.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Gotti returned to court with around four or five staples in his head following the injury, and Weinstein said that he was “doing really well” during a news conference outside the courthouse.
The report also shared that Fulton County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Natalie Ammons stated that Kendrick and another detainee got into a fight at the jail’s southern annex in Union City, and an investigation is now underway.
Weinstein reportedly added that it was difficult for him to find out exactly what happened, but said he thinks that the rapper was assaulted with “some type of an improvised shank”.
“Deamonte does not want to be in jail, and this incident does not make things any better,” Weinstein continued. “But he’s there. He knows, or at least he hopes and is confident, that he’s going to be out soon.”
The aforementioned co-defendant, Shannon Stillwell, was also stabbed at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta last year, which led to the long-running trial being brought to a halt.
Young Thug performs on stage in 2022. CREDIT: Amy E. Price/Getty Images for SXSW
LA Times reports that Kendrick and Stillwell were among the 28 people indicted at the Young Thug trial in May 2022, with charges including conspiring to violate Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Four went on to plead guilty.
While Gunna and Young Thug went on to accept plea deals, Stillwell and Kendrick rejected the plea deals and their lawyers chose not to present evidence or witnesses.
Young Thug’s case has been significantly notable for the use of his rap lyrics to accuse him of his YSL gang affiliation in trial. Using lyrics in criminal trials has been broadly criticised “as a convenient way to inject racial bias and confusion into the criminal justice process.”
In July, the trial was further delayed when the judge was removed over misconduct allegations. The move was prompted by the rapper’s lawyer Brian Steel, who was arrested mid-trial for alleged contempt of court a month earlier.
This is a developing story.
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