Three men and two boys, aged 15 and 17, are arrested 'for shooting and killing rapper Pop Smoke during a robbery gone wrong at his LA mansion in February' after they identified his house from his social media pictures
Three men and two teenage boys have been arrested in connection with the shooting and killing of rapper Pop Smoke during a home invasion in February
The 20-year-old New York rapper, whose legal name was Bashar Barakah Jackson, was shot dead on February 19 at his $2.5million rental home in the Hollywood Hills.
The LAPD said the five suspects, including two boys aged 15 and 17, targeted his house when they saw pictures on his social media.
They narrowed down where he lived by using the images and an address posted on a gift bag, and then killed him during a robbery gone wrong, authorities say.
Police in Los Angeles have arrested three men and two teens in connection to the February killing of rapper Pop Smoke in the Hollywood Hills
The LAPD announced the five arrests on Twitter on Thursday
Paramedics are seen removing Pop Smoke on a stretcher after he was shot in the chest
A 911 call from a friend of someone in the house reported armed intruders inside the home, police previously said.
Authorities did not initially believe the rapper's death was related to a robbery.
Capt. Jonathan Tippet, who oversees the Los Angeles Police Department’s elite Robbery-Homicide Division, said the suspects likely went to the home because they knew Pop Smoke was there from social media posts.
They stole items from the home, though Tippet said he could not divulge what was taken.
'We believe that it was a robbery. Initially we didn’t really have the evidence but then we discovered some other evidence that showed this was likely a home invasion gone bad,' Tippet told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The five suspects were arrested Thursday morning as detectives served several search warrants in Los Angeles.
All are believed to be members of a South Los Angeles gang, which Tippet would not name, and at least some of them are believed to be linked to a 2019 homicide when a fight escalated into a shooting outside the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
Pop Smoke and his entourage staying at the home are not believed to be associated with the gang, Tippet said. No one else was shot during the incident.
The home where the shooting occurred is owned by Edwin Arroyave and his wife Teddi Mellencamp, daughter of Rock & Roll Hall-of-Famer John Mellencamp and a star of 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.'
Teddi previously said on Instagram that the couple had been notified of the shooting at their rental property but knew no more than what they had seen in media reports.
This aerial photo taken from video provided by Fox11 News KTTV-TV shows the Hollywood Hills home where Pop Smoke was shot dead
Teddi Mellencamp, daughter of Rock & Roll Hall-of-Famer John Mellencamp and a star of 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,' and her husband, Edwin Arroyave own the $2.5million home
The Los Angeles Times reported in February that hours before the shooting, the rapper had posted pictures of him posing by an infinity pool on reality TV star's $2.5million property, as well as a picture of the LA skyline from what was likely the house’s backyard.
In another post, Pop Smoke or a member of his entourage put a picture of a gift bag tagged with the Hollywood Hills address and a different photo showed him posing by a Ranger Rover in a spot where the home’s address was partly visible in the background.
'It’s our belief that (the home-invasion robbery) was based on some of the social media' posts, Tippet said. 'It’s based on the fact that he was posting his information may have contributed to him knowing where to find him.'
Surveillance video captured the intruders at the house moments before gunfire erupted at around 4.30am on February 19.
The rapper was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he later died from a gunshot wound to the chest.
Pop Smoke arrived on the rap scene in 2018 and broke out with 'Welcome to the Party' a gangsta anthem with boasts about shootings, killings and drugs that became a huge sensation, and prompted Nicki Minaj to drop a verse on a remix.
Police believe the suspects were led to the rental home by this photo posted on social media by Pop Smoke or a member of his entourage, which shows a picture of a gift bag tagged with the Hollywood Hills address
Earlier this year, he released the album 'Meet the Woo 2,' which debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart. It was the follow up to his first official release,' Meet the Woo.' He also had the popular hit 'Gatti' with Travis Scott and Jackboys and 'Dior.'
Pop Smoke had been scheduled to start a US tour in Washington, DC, on March 2.
Last week, Pop Smoke released his posthumous debut album 'Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon,' which was met with mostly positive reviews. The 19-track album featured several star-studded guests including 50 Cent, Roddy Rich, Future, Swae Lee, Quavo and others.
Three men and two boys, aged 15 and 17, are arrested 'for shooting and killing rapper Pop Smoke during a robbery gone wrong at his LA mansion in February' after they identified his house from his social media pictures
![Three men and two boys, aged 15 and 17, are arrested 'for shooting and killing rapper Pop Smoke during a robbery gone wrong at his LA mansion in February' after they identified his house from his social media pictures]()
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