Lil Baby’s arrest footage surfaced after it was reported the rap star was arrested on an “illegal weapon” charge in Las Vegas on Monday (August 25). TMZ released footage of the incident on Wednesday, August 28, shedding light on the dramatic moments leading up to his detainment.
In the footage, the It’s Only Me creator, real name Dominque Jones, is seen offering a security guard $20,000 to make a phone call on his behalf. “You got a phone?” he asked, gesturing to someone off-camera. “I’ll give you [$20,000] to call this number for me… Hey, security—the Black guy—call this number for me. They’re locking me up for a gun, but I got a license.”
After that, Lil Baby escalated his offer, saying, “Security, f**k your job. I’ll give you [$200,000] a year. I swear to God, security. I’ll give you [$200,000] a year. You don’t make [$200,000] here.”
As the tension mounted, Lil Baby pleaded with the officers, explaining that he had a flight to catch and was in town for James Harden’s birthday. “We came here from LA for [James Harden’s] birthday. I got a show tonight,” he insisted.
The situation grew more intense as Lil Baby, clearly frustrated, dared the officers to search him thoroughly. “Take my pants down. Y’all [better] search me good. If I go to jail with a gun, y’all n**gas gon’ die,” he warned. “Check me good. I got a gun in my nuts… Y’all let me in that car, I’ma shoot myself in the head.”
Following his arrest, Lil Baby’s attorneys, Drew Findling and David Chesnoff, issued a statement emphasizing that Dominique Jones, Lil Baby’s real name, holds a valid Georgia Carrying a Concealed Weapon Permit. “On his behalf, we are actively investigating the facts and circumstances surrounding his arrest in Las Vegas,” they stated.
Lil Baby would laugh off the whole ordeal on Wenesday, sharing photos of him on a private jet with stacks of cash and blaming the situation on alcohol. On social media, he wrote, “when you add [glass of liquor emoji] + [baby face emjoi] … you get [skull face emoji] on arrival!!!”