Chattanooga Times Free Press

Young Thug’s brother is back in jail on gun charge

- BY SHADDI ABUSAID

He had a murder conviction overturned, then accepted a plea deal in the sweeping Fulton County gang and racketeeri­ng case involving alleged members of “Young Slime Life.”

Now Young Thug’s brother is back in jail after being arrested Thursday on a gun charge.

Quantaviou­s Grier, who performs under the stage name “Unfoonk,” is charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, participat­ing in criminal street gang activity, not wearing a seatbelt and a window tint violation, Fulton County jail records show.

He was booked into the jail late Thursday, less than six months after taking a plea deal in the massive “Young Slime Life” gang case.

According to arrest warrants, plain-clothes officers were conducting surveillan­ce along Cleveland Avenue in southwest Atlanta when they noticed a black Mercedes G-Wagen backed into a parking spot at a BP gas station. Several people were standing near the driver’s-side door, which raised suspicions of a possible drug deal, an officer wrote in an affidavit.

Police stopped the luxury SUV as it pulled out of the parking lot for an alleged window tint violation, according to the warrants. The car reportedly smelled like marijuana, so Grier was asked to step out.

“I also noticed a handgun in plain view located in the driver side door panel,” the officer wrote. “Mr. Grier advised that the gun was clean, which prompted me to believe he had knowledge of the firearm being there.”

Authoritie­s said they recovered a 9 mm Glock and found “marijuana particles” throughout the vehicle’s floorboard.

As part of his December deal, Grier pleaded guilty to one count of violating the state’s RICO act and one count of theft by receiving stolen property.

He was released from jail after being sentenced to 12 years, with two years commuted to time served and the balance on probation. Under the conditions of that agreement, he was to complete 750 hours of community service and was prohibited from possessing guns, court records show.

He was also forbidden from talking to his brother, Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, or any of the other 28 codefendan­ts named in the sprawling Fulton County gang indictment handed down last year.

Prosecutor­s say Williams is the co-founder and leader of Young Slime Life, which they allege is a southwest Atlanta gang responsibl­e for much of Atlanta’s crime. Young Thug’s attorneys strongly contest the charges, arguing that YSL is simply the name of the award-winning rapper’s record label.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States