Southside, co-founder of the 808 Mafia production collective, was arrested in Florida on Sunday (March 14).
According to an arrest report obtained by XXL, the producer, born Joshua Luellen, was arrested in Aventura, Fla.—a city outside of Miami-Dade County—for carrying a concealed weapon and knowingly driving with a suspended license.
Southside was initially pulled over because of the "heavily tinted windshield" on his Mercedes SUV. The 32-year-old hip-hop artist told authorities that he didn't have a Florida driver's license, but has one for Georgia, which wasn't in his possession at the time of the traffic stop. Police later discovered that Southside's Florida license has been suspended since May 8, 2019. The beatmaker also said that he currently resides in the Sunshine State and him living in Florida invalidates his Georgia license.
As for the firearms, authorities asked Southside if he had a gun in his vehicle, which he admitted to having. After he stepped out of his car—at the police's request—the officer discovered a gun between his shoes. There was another firearm on the floorboard behind the passenger's seat. Both weapons were fully loaded with rounds in the chamber. Southside told the officer that he has a permit to carry and presented his documentation, but it was suspended for unknown reasons.
The police document goes on to say that the Demons R Us producer was informed by law enforcement that he was in violation of his gun permit by having the firearms within reach and not in a glove compartment or encased in a box inside of the vehicle.
According to a report from NBC Miami, the beatsmith was released on $5,500 bond.
Southside's arrest comes days after he revealed that he's retiring from music after his next 808 Mafia album.
"AFTER THIS 808mafia ALBUM IM DONE IM WHERE I WANNA BE IN LIFE AS A PRODUCER IM DONE JUST KNO THIS ALBUM IS GOING TO BE GREAT IM STILL GONE LEAD FOR THE CULTURE IM STILL GONE TRY TO PUT NEW PRODUCERS ON BUT AS A PRODUCER IM THROWING THE TOWEL IN AFTER THIS ALBUM I’m done ❤️," he tweeted.
XXL has reached out to the Miami-Dade Police Department for a comment on this matter.
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