Tekashi 6ix9ine was ambushed and assaulted in a gym in South Florida. Despite putting up a fight, the rapper was left with injuries that required him to be hospitalized. The 3 men involved in the assault have been arrested.
Several men attacked the rapper in the LA Fitness sauna, according to his attorney, Lance Lazzaro. He said the 26-year-old had cuts to his face and bruises. The perpetrators fled after employees heard the disturbance.
Octavious Medina
Octavious Medina is one of the 3 men arrested in the ambush and assault of rapper 6ix9ine last week. The alleged assault, which happened at an LA Fitness gym in suburban Lake Worth, Florida, left Tekashi — real name Daniel Hernandez — with multiple injuries to his face and jaw.
TMZ reports that a video of the attack shows three men ambushing the 26-year-old rapper inside the facility’s sauna. The attack caused Tekashi to suffer major blows to his head, face, ribs and back.
Rafael Medina, the oldest of the three men, is a documented member of the Latin Kings gang, which Tekashi has testified against in court. He has held a high-ranking position within the gang for several years, according to an arrest report from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
Anthony Maldonado, the youngest of the suspects, is a documented member of the Nine Trey Gangsters, which Tekashi also testified against in court. He is also a documented member of the Roc Nation gang, which Tekashi has also testified against in court.
The trio were arrested Thursday and are being booked into jail, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. Their charges include robbery and battery. They are due in court Friday.
Rafael Medina
Rafael Medina is a director of media relations at American Progress, where he supports the organization’s immigration policy and immigrant rights advocacy teams. He previously served as a senior communications manager at the Immigration Hub, and has worked on immigration-related federal and political campaigns.
According to TMZ, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office has arrested three men in connection with the ambush and assault of rapper 6ix9ine on March 21 at an LA Fitness gym in Florida. The gang members were caught on surveillance footage. They were later identified as Octavious Medina, 23; Anthony Maldonado, 25; and Medina Jr., 43.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s office says the Medina brothers are documented Latin Kings gang members. The Latin Kings is one of the largest Hispanic and Latino street gangs in the United States. The sheriff also revealed that Medina Jr. was involved in a federal gang RICO case in the mid-2000s, and was found guilty on felony charges.
NBC News reported that the Medina brothers have a history of working together, and the attack was likely a retaliation against 6ix9ine for testifying against his own gang in a federal case. The Bloods and the Latin Kings have long been allies in a broader gang allegiance called the People Nation, according to law enforcement.
Anthony Maldonado
Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine is recovering from an ambush and assault in Florida that left him with facial injuries, according to his lawyer. He was beaten up inside a gym by three men on March 21, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said.
Sixix9ine, whose real name is Daniel Hernandez, was taken to the hospital with injuries that included cuts to his face and ribs. Videos of the attack, which occurred at LA Fitness in Lake Worth’s 8000 block of Lantana Road, have been shared online and on social media.
The alleged attackers were later arrested. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office announced Friday that Rafael Medina Jr., 43; Octavious Medina, 23, and Anthony Maldonado, 25, were all charged with robbery and assault in connection to the attack.
Despite the fact that these alleged assailants are now behind bars, it is still unclear what their motivation was. However, TMZ has released a startling video of the moment that the trio let 6ix9ine into the gym and immediately began beating him up. The video shows one of the men kicking the rapper and grabbing his hair. It also shows the other two assailants cornering him and kicking him in the chest, head, legs and feet.
