The rapper has had a long history of legal issues — including multiple weapons charges and high-profile lawsuits.
DeAndre Cortez Way, better known as Soulja Boy, was arrested early Sunday morning in Los Angeles after police allegedly found a firearm in a vehicle he was riding in.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the 35-year-old “Crank That” artist was a passenger during a traffic stop at around 2:50 a.m. on August 3 near Melrose Avenue and Genesee Avenue in the city’s Fairfax District. Officers say they discovered a firearm during the halt and arrested Way on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a gun — a felony under California law.
He was booked into the LAPD’s Wilshire Division jail at 6:18 a.m. Details surrounding the reason for the traffic stop or the identities of other individuals in the car have not yet been released by authorities.
The arrest occurred just hours after Soulja Boy was seen celebrating his 35th birthday at the Poppy nightclub in West Hollywood. The rapper shared multiple clips from the celebration to his Instagram Stories, showing off a crowded dance floor and even declaring in a video,
“I don’t need no security.”
Earlier in the day, he had also previewed unreleased tracks from his album The Influence, which dropped during a Twitch livestream in February.
This isn’t Soulja Boy’s first brush with the law — far from it. The rapper has faced multiple weapons-related charges over the past decade.
In 2014, he was arrested for carrying a loaded handgun during a traffic stop in California’s San Fernando Valley. Two years later, officers found a gun in his Hollywood Hills home while he was still on probation. He later pleaded no contest to felony weapons possession in 2017 and was sentenced to five years of probation and 240 days of community service.
Beyond criminal charges, Soulja Boy has also been named in several civil lawsuits. Just this past April, a Los Angeles jury found him liable in a sexual assault case brought by a former personal assistant, awarding her over $4 million in damages. And in 2023, he was ordered to pay his ex-girlfriend Kayla Myers nearly $236,000 following a 2019 assault and kidnapping claim.
It is unclear whether the rapper has been released or retained legal counsel. The LAPD has not issued further comments, and representatives for Soulja Boy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Soulja Boy first shot to fame in 2007 with his viral hit “Crank That (Soulja Boy),” his recent years have been overshadowed by legal woes. His continued run-ins with law enforcement raise questions about whether he can stage a complete comeback.
