Lil TJay was arrested by law enforcement on Instagram Live on Tuesday (June 6). According to TMZ, the rapper, né Tione Jayden Merrit, was detained after he was seen sitting atop an automobile brandishing a firearm.

Before the arrest, the “Gangsta Boo” artist spoke and interacted with his fans through the IG livestream while filming a music video in Manhattan.

TJay can be heard and seen in the video telling officers “don’t touch me” and swatting their hands away from him. As the footage continued, the police swarmed him, taking him to the ground. Onlookers are heard telling the rapper, “don’t fight,” and that he’s “bigger than [resisting].”

After police officers hauled him off to jail, they confiscated the “weapon” to identify its make and model. Upon inspection, authorities discovered the gun was fake, charging Merrit with possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment. 

Merrit’s attorney, Dawn Florio, also disclosed that law enforcement charged his client with “obstructing governmental administration for refusing police orders to put his hands behind his back during his arrest.”

News of the rapper being arrested hit the web just days after Merrit, 22, got into a fight at Hot 97’s 2023 Summer Jam. A clip of the alleged scuffle went viral on Tuesday (June 6), which depicts an angered TJay attempting to make his way toward an unknown figure. 

“You’re going to be fired!” the artist repeatedly shouts backstage as a group of men holds him back. At the end of the clip, the cameraman talks aimlessly about the situation, offering little insight into the scuffle. “Ni**a popped on Lil Tjay, bro,” the unknown person said. No other information regarding the Summer Jam skirmish is known at this time. 

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7t7XBnmWcp51ku6bD0micp6yVp8Gitc2mnKesX6G2rXnTo5iyZZGnv6a%2F056bZpqpYr2wuMicnGacpae2r7OMoqWsrJGcv6K5jKWgr51dZn90gJZvaXFvaWQ%3D