Rapper T.I. revealed he was arrested after a minor bike accident with local law enforcement during a recent trip to Amsterdam. The Atlanta-bred artist held an Instagram live broadcast where he detailed the incident, which did not seem to deter his vacation. He and his wife R&B singer Tomeka “Tiny” Cottle are traveling through Europe in celebration of their 11th wedding anniversary.
“So, I’m locked up now,” he announced as he started the video. “It’ll be fine. But he [the officer] was extremely upset,” he said in the video. “I myself, I was having a great time. Still, I’m still not upset. I’m having a phenomenal time. They arrested me, they didn’t even put me in handcuffs. They just opened the door and invited me to the backseat. I obliged.”
According to his account, as he rode his bike through an intersection, his handlebar accidentally broke off the side mirror of a police vehicle. He claimed to have tried to post bail with a large amount of cash he had on hand but was not released until someone brought his passport and posted bail digitally.
Although this did not unfold into a judicial battle, both the rapper and his wife may face legal woes in the United States. The couple has been accused of multiple sexual assault allegations in multiple states. NBC News reported in May, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed an active investigation of both T.I. and Tiny but did not specify which allegation. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said its inquiry closed due to the statute of limitations.
A police report from the LVMPD viewed by NBC News detailed the account of a person identified as Rachelle Jenks who said “life has never been the same” after she “was forced to engage in sexual acts” with the rapper and his wife. Her story detailed allegedly being dizzy after drinking what she believed to be a shot of Patron and taking white powder from the couple. She shared her thought that her tequila shot was spiked. Her story continued to claim T.I. took her ID and forced her to travel to various cities and engage in sexual acts before she was returned to Las Vegas.
In the LAPD report viewed by the news outlet, the victim remained anonymous but shared a similar story. The account claimed the woman and her friend each took a sip of a drink that tasted like Patron” and “at no time did victim see Tiny drink any of her own beverage.” She was then invited to a hotel room with the couple where she was allegedly undressed and bathed by Tiny. The story claimed she T.I. then penetrated her with his toes as she told him to stop. He allegedly went to get a condom when the victim went to the bathroom to vomit. According to her story, the next day she woke up in the hotel naked and sore.
In June, T.I. released a response to the allegations in the form of music. VIBE reported the “Stand Up Guy” rapper released the music video for his new single, “What It’s Come To” claiming innocence for him and his wife. In his self-directed visual, audio of Sabrina Peterson—the woman and former family friend who accused Tip of placing a gun to her head—demanded a public apology from the couple in exchange for her dropping the defamation lawsuit she filed against them can be heard.
“Extortion, ain’t that what you got your mind on, shawty / Tell her get it how you live, shawty, I ain’t going for it / I’ma take it all the way every day of the week,” he raps. “Bet you thought this sh*t was sweet and I’d pay in a week / Better look at all the traffic when you play in the street.”
Peterson issued a response to the video, saying “Your tactics aren’t a good look. It’s actually sad! It’s heartbreaking! It’s one thing to put a gun to a woman’s head but it something totally different to keep attempting to victimize that woman again & again. When it’s all said it done I took the high road & tried to give mercy but you repaid it with mockery. Get out the booth & behind cameras & SEE ME IN COURT!”
A statement proved to PEOPLE on behalf of the couple reads as follows: “Mr. and Mrs. Harris want to be on record and more importantly want the public to know they emphatically deny in the strongest way possible the egregiously appalling allegations being made against them by Sabrina Peterson. The Harrises have had difficulty with this woman for well over a decade.”