Tory Lanez has pled not guilty to assault with a semiautomatic handgun, TMZ reports and a representative for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has confirmed to Pitchfork. The charge stems from a July 12 arrest in Hollywood Hills. Megan Thee Stallion has said she was present at the time of the arrest. “I suffered gunshot wounds, as a result of a crime that was committed against me and done with the intention to physically harm me,” she initially wrote, before later claiming that Tory Lanez was her assailant.
Pitchfork has reached out to Tory Lanez’s lawyer Shawn Holley for comment and more information.
After being arrested in July, Tory Lanez was booked for having a concealed firearm in a vehicle. In October, he was hit with new charges related to the incident: one count of assault with a semiautomatic handgun and one count of carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle. If convicted, the Canadian artist could face up to 22 years and eight months in prison.
Last month, at a hearing in the case, a judge issued a protective order that prevented Tory Lanez from contacting Megan Thee Stallion.
Megan Thee Stallion has said that she required surgery after suffering two gunshot wounds. In an October op-ed for The New York Times, Meg addressed the incident, writing, “I was recently the victim of an act of violence by a man.”
If you or someone you know have been affected by domestic abuse, we encourage you to reach out:
The National Domestic Violence Hotline
http://thehotline.org
1-800-799-SAFE (7233)