The artist, who shares two children with singer Rihanna, faced the possibility of over 20 years in prison if convicted for the alleged assault on a former friend in Hollywood in 2021.
He was taken into custody in 2022.
The courtroom erupted in emotion as the jury's decision was announced, with the Grammy-nominated hip-hop artist, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, embracing supporters in relief upon being found not guilty.
Throughout the lengthy trial, prosecutors alleged that Mayers discharged a nine-millimeter semi-automatic firearm during a confrontation with Terell Ephron, known as A$AP Relli, on November 6, 2021, in central Hollywood, resulting in a graze to Ephron's hand.
Mayers, 36, maintained that he was only in possession of a harmless prop gun.
The two men had once been friends and were both members of A$AP, a New York-based rap collective, but their relationship soured as other group members perceived Mayers' rising fame as a sign of arrogance.
Ephron testified that he was enticed to a parking garage for a meeting that was partially captured on low-quality surveillance footage.
He alleged that after a verbal exchange, Mayers brandished a gun from his waistband, aimed it at Relli's stomach, and threatened, “I’ll kill you right now.”
Ephron claimed that two shots were fired, with one grazing his knuckles.
Defense attorney Joe Tacopina argued that the firearm was “absolutely nothing more than a prop gun… a starter gun, a blank gun, a fake gun. It’s used in pop movies and music videos.”
Tacopina characterized Ephron as “a criminal and a perjurer,” noting that seven police officers searched the shooting scene hours later but found no shell casings or weapon.
However, after the officers departed, Ephron returned to the location and claimed to have found a pair of nine-millimeter shell casings that he said he picked up from the street where the incident occurred, according to Tacopina.
Neither party was able to present the gun they claimed was involved.
Tacopina claimed that the entire shooting incident was fabricated to squeeze money out of his rich and successful client.
After the verdict, he told reporters that the jury saw right through the “mirage of a case.”
“I’ve always said this was an extortion. The extortion played out live in court,” he stated.
“The district attorney should look long and hard at prosecuting Terell Ephron.”
Tacopina also praised Mayers and Rihanna, calling them “the greatest people.”
There was no immediate response from either Mayers or Rihanna, who had been present in court throughout the trial.
A$AP Rocky rose to fame in the early 2010s with two hit albums: “Long. Live. A$AP” and “At. Long. Last. A$AP.”
In 2019, he received a suspended prison sentence in Sweden after a brawl, which sparked diplomatic tensions between Stockholm and Washington, leading then-president Donald Trump to step in.