Tory Lanez will stand trial on criminal charges relating to the shooting of Megan Thee Stallion. According to the Los Angeles Times, on Tuesday (Dec. 14) Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Keith Borjon upheld the assault and weapons possession charges against the musician, real name Daystar Peterson, during a 90-minute hearing.
The two were leaving a party in July 2020 hosted by Kylie Jenner when an argument took place inside a vehicle and Megan Thee Stallion, real name Megan Pete, demanded to exit. Los Angeles Police Det. Ryan Stogner testified that Peterson commanded Pete to “Dance, bit*h!” as he opened fire while she attempted to walk away, according to an earlier interview he’d conducted with the Good News rapper.
Prosecutors also claimed Peterson called a friend of Thee Stallion’s from on the night of the shooting, apologizing for the incident.
“I’m deeply sorry … so I feel crazy that I made a mistake,” Lanez said, according to a partial transcript of the call read in court by Los Angeles County Deputy Dist. Atty. Kathy Ta on Tuesday. “What happened, happened already. I can’t take it back. I’m just telling y’all I’m sorry.”
“How about you tell me what I was apologizing for, bro? That don’t make no sense,” Peterson yelled during the proceedings as his lawyer requested he remains quiet. His defense attorney Shawn Holley is doubtful of Pete’s story and said her client did not specifically apologize for the shooting on the call.
The Times has reported both Peterson and his defense attorney declined to comment outside the courtroom, however, the “Say It” artist had a message to share on Twitter following the hearing.
“I need someone to REPORT what was REALLY said in court today,” he tweeted. “45 minutes of my lawyer stating contradictory evidence that proves my innocence should never come back as one false story forced to the media.”
In August, the 29-year-old was ordered to pay an increased bail of $250,000 for violating the protective order to stay away from the Houston rapper when he surprised the audience at Rolling Loud Miami in July when joining DaBaby onstage.
“They could have filed an additional charge based on violating the protective order because that’s a violation of law as well. You do not want to be doing things like this, sir,” said Judge Keith H. Borjon to Peterson at the time. “You have the means and the where with all and a lot of smart people around you to advise you as to how you should be conducting your life so we don’t have to have hearings like this.”
Peterson is scheduled to return to court on Jan. 13. 2022 and, if convicted he faces a maximum sentence of 22 years and 8 months in state prison.