Rapper Polo G has been arrested on charges including battery on a police officer, resisting arrest with violence and criminal mischief.
Jail records show the rapper, whose name is Taurus Bartlett, was booked into jail early Saturday (June 12) on five charges and released on bond hours later.
The Miami Police Department released arrest affidavits in which officers stated Bartlett, 22, and others were pulled over early Saturday, and the rapper ended up in a struggle on the ground with officers. One of the documents says an officer who was trying to handcuff Bartlett was struck multiple times.
The documents say Bartlett was aggressive as he resisted arrest in downtown Miami. One of the officers said he had ordered him and all the passengers in the car he was traveling in to get out of the vehicle to pat them down for firearms, saying he suspected they carried weapons because they heard a passenger claim the vehicle was bulletproof.
The police department said it was reviewing the incident that would include examining all camera footage, saying the arrest was captured on several body-worn cameras. Police spokesman Michael Vega said it also was investigating several threats received against personnel and facilities in response to the rapper’s arrest.
The Chicago-based artist had just released his newest album Hall of Fame on Friday. His single “Rapstar” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April. His mother and manager said on Instagram that Polo G and his younger brother were riding in a car with security after an album release party.
The mother, Stacia Mac, posted a message on Facebook saying she had bonded out Polo G and other people who were arrested in the same traffic stop. Earlier in the day on Twitter, she had said, “None of these charges would be possible if the POLICE did not make contact with my son Polo G!!! He was NOT the driver. He was a PASSENGER in a professionally licensed vehicle with security. He was moving smart and correctly. What more could he have done.”
Jail records did not list an attorney for the rapper.
