Young Thug – real name Jeffrey Lamar Williams – was arrested yesterday (9 May) at his home in Atlanta on suspicion of gang involvement and a number of other alleged offences including:
- Threatening to kill a man at a shopping mall
- Renting a car that was used during the murder of Donovan Thomas Jr in 2015
- Intending to distribute methamphetamine
The arrest was made as part of a larger grand jury indictment that names 27 other members and associates of the YSL (Young Stoner Life) record label. The indictment, which features a total of 56-counts, characterises YSL as a “criminal street gang” and officials claim that the label is an affiliate of the national Bloods gang.
Members have been accused of a series of crimes, including:
- Murder and attempted murder
- Assault with a deadly weapon
- Robbery
- Witness intimidation
- Drug dealing
Thug’s lawyer, Brian Steel, maintains his client’s innocence: “Mr Williams committed no crime whatsoever and we will fight to my last drop of blood to clear him.”
Gunna was also named in the indictment, though it’s not clear whether he’s been arrested as of yet. Prosecutors cited his appearance in the video for Lil Keed’s “Fox 5,” and specifically the lyric “We got ten hundred-round choppers,” in addition to jewellery he wore on-screen bearing the YSL logo as evidence of the rapper’s involvement with the gang.
Thug is currently being detained at Fulton County Jail in Atlanta and will make his first court appearance on Tuesday.
