Florida rapper and singer Rod Wave was arrested last night (May 1) on a felony charge of battery by strangulation, according to documents viewed by Pitchfork. Wave’s 2021 Dodge Durango was pulled over “after a traffic infraction occurred,” and he was subsequently arrested by the St. Petersburg Police Department at 10:34 p.m. on an out-of-county warrant issued by Osceola County, Florida.
A series of videos posted to Rod Wave’s Instagram stories depict him driving in St. Petersburg and listening to music; the last showed him outside, his face illuminated by the lights of a police car. He is currently in custody at Pinellas County Jail. A representative for Rod Wave offered no comment when reached by Pitchfork.
Rod Wave released his latest album, SoulFly, in March 2021. It debuted atop the Billboard 200 albums chart. He recently gave away $25,000 worth of gasoline in his native St. Petersburg.
