Tory Lanez, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in August, has been denied bail as he awaits the outcome of his appeal of his convictions on three felony counts over shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the feet in July of 2020.
According to Rolling Stone, Lanez — whose real name is Daystar Peterson — requested to stay out of prison while appealing his conviction but it was denied by a Los Angeles judge on Thursday.
Judge David Herriford refused to grant bail, referring to the “violent felony” Peterson was convicted of and his “history of violating court orders,” citing protective orders he previously violated and the fact that he’s a deportation risk since he’s a Canadian citizen.
During the hearing, Lanez was represented by attorneys Crystal Morgan and Michael Hayden of the nonprofit legal group Unite the People.
Reporter Meghan Cuniff — who has been covering the trial in-depth — wrote on X (formerly Twitter) after the motion was denied that “Lanez grinned at his supporters, including his father and friends from the Unite the People legal services group, before being led out.”
Outside of the courtroom, the rapper’s appellate lawyers gave a statement to Cuniff on the outcome of the hearing.
“We argued the elements of our case and the judge didn’t agree with our side,” one attorney said. “That happens. But this is just the first step in the appellate process.”
In December 2022, the “Plan B” rapper was found guilty after a nine-day trial at the Los Angeles Superior Court, where he was convicted of assaulting Megan with a semi-automatic firearm, carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle and discharging a firearm with gross negligence.
The violent incident took place following a pool party at Kylie Jenner’s Los Angeles home. Megan, her former assistant and ex-friend Kelsey Harris and Lanez had left the party in a Cadillac Escalade and wound up in an argument in the vehicle, which spilled out onto the sidewalk in the Hollywood Hills.
According to prosecutors in court, as Megan — whose real name is Megan Pete — began walking away, she heard Lanez yell “Dance, bitch!” and he then began shooting at her with a 9mm pistol. Following the events, Megan was hospitalized and underwent surgery.
When Megan testified last year about the incident, she said she was “in shock” and “scared.”
“I hear a gun going off. I couldn’t believe he was shooting at me,” she said. “He was holding the gun, pointing it at me.”
Last month, in his first statement following his sentencing, Lanez maintained his innocence.
“I have never let a hard time intimidate me. I will never let no jail time eliminate me. Regardless of how they try to spin my words, I have always maintained my innocence and I always will,” he wrote on Instagram,
Lanez added that he “took responsibility for all verbal and intimate moments that I shared with the parties involved… That’s it.”
“In no way shape or form was I apologizing for the charges I’m being wrongly convicted of,” he said. “I remain on the stance that I refuse to apologize for something that I did not do.”
“I’ve faced adversity my whole life and every time it looked like I would lose, I came out on top. This is nothing but another moment where my back is against the wall and I refuse to stop fighting till I come out victorious. Tough times don’t last, tough people do.”
The musician ended his statement by thanking his friends, family, and fans for their “continued support.”
According to the Associated Press, Lanez told the court he took “full responsibility” for what he did on the night of the incident.
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