Lil Zay Osama, who is a Chicago-based rapper, is under investigation for his alleged role in the March 13 armed robbery at an LA smoke shop. The March 13 theft at the Hubci Smoke Shop along Melrose Avenue sparked serious doubts about the role played by the rapper in the criminal enterprise in the guise of a music video shoot.
The robbery was at around 9 p.m. when two videographers were invited to the Hubci Smoke Shop. Pretending to make a music video, the victims were ambushed by eight suspects, including Osama, who were reported to have held them at gunpoint. During the beating, the two victims were severely beaten: one was lacerated on the head, while the other had several of his teeth knocked off after being pistol-whipped.
The robbers snatched the valuable jewelry and the weapons and fled in two vehicles—a black BMW and a yellow Lamborghini Urus.
The two victims were left severely injured by the attack. A deep laceration to the head injured one of the videographers, who needed to be treated by medical professionals. The second victim received serious dental injury after being hit several times during the robbery. Authorities have yet to release the victim’s names, but the seriousness of the injury indicates the level of violence used.
The robbers made a hasty getaway, and the pursuit was at full speed. Police were able to track the yellow Lamborghini 30 minutes later, and the 40-minute chase that ensued involved several police agencies, including the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), the California Highway Patrol (CHP), and Ventura County sheriff’s deputies.
The pursuit ended in Santa Rosa Valley, with two suspects in custody. But the black BMW occupants remain on the loose, and the investigation continues with the authorities searching for the other offenders.
Rapper Lil Zay Osama, who has a history with prior charges for weapons and police chases, is the identified suspect in the robbery. Osama, whose real first name is Isaiah Dukes, has also had several encounters with the police, including serving 14 months in jail in 2024 for a federal weapons charge for having an altered gun in an Uber. He is also implicated in earlier charges for robbery, with some of his earlier interviews affirming that he robbed cameramen for music video shoots in the past.
Osama was apprehended in December 2023 after an Illinois police chase during which officers recovered loaded firearms, including a Glock 19 with the 50-round drum magazine, and the $90,000 chain used in the New York City robbery. While direct evidence does not yet implicate Osama in having orchestrated the smoke shop robbery, his criminal history and prior comments have raised the suspicions of law enforcement officials.
The police are looking for the public’s help to offer any additional information regarding the robbery. While the police have made no official word regarding the charges against Osama, they have confirmed that the rapper is a person of interest to the investigation. The LAPD is still collaborating with the police at the local level to arrest the other suspects and bring them into custody. Police also asked the public for assistance to identify the black BMW getaway vehicle.
