Louisiana rapper arrested in San Diego before show
Louisiana rapper Boosie Badazz was arrested in San Diego on suspicion of gun charges after a traffic stop Saturday night, authorities said.
The stop occurred on Market Street near 47th Street in the Chollas View neighborhood. During a subsequent investigation, officers recovered two loaded handguns, San Diego police Lt. Adam Sharki said.
The 40-year-old rapper, Torence Hatch Jr., also known simply as Boosie, was arrested on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, carrying a concealed gun, and carrying a loaded firearm that was not registered to him, according to county arrest records.
A 28-year-old man was also arrested, accused of carrying a concealed firearm and carrying a loaded gun that was not registered to him.
Police did not release further information, citing an ongoing investigation. Hatch was not in custody as of Monday, according to jail records.
His arraignment was scheduled for May 15 in San Diego Superior Court, according to the county District Attorney’s Office.
Hatch had visited San Diego to shoot a music video, according to WBRZ-TV, a TV news station in Baton Rouge. He was also scheduled to perform at Phantom Lounge and Nightclub in the Gaslamp Quarter on Saturday.
After the arrest, Hatch posted bail and performed, according to HotNewHipHop, an online publication that covers the genre. The rapper at one point led the crowd in a “(Expletive) San Diego police” chant, according to footage of the performance.
Hatch’s criminal history includes convictions for gun and drug charges. In 2012, he was acquitted in Baton Rouge in an alleged murder-for-hire case, according to The Advocate, a newspaper in Baton Rouge.
The accused getaway driver, Adrian Pittman, pleaded guilty that same year to a lesser charge of manslaughter in the 2009 killing of Terry Boyd. Pittman was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
The accused shooter, Michael Louding, was found guilty of first-degree murder in 2013 and sentenced to life in prison.
Hitch, who formerly performed as Lil’ Boosie, began his career in the 1990s. His albums and mixtapes include 2006’s “Bad Azz,” 2010’s “Incarcerated” and 2015’s “Touch Down 2 Cause Hell.” He has collaborated with artists such as T.I. and Rick Ross.