Despite the connotations of his rap name, Lil Uzi Vert has so far managed to avoid running afoul of gun violence or the police for much of his career. Unfortunately, his streak came to an end on Tuesday — but not in the same way as many of his peers and contemporaries. TMZ reports that Uzi was detained by police in his hometown Philadelphia after having a gun battle on the streets — albeit with paintball guns.
Police told TMZ that reports were called in of Uzi and his friends shooting out of a vehicle near North Philadelphia. When police searched the car, they found only seven, realistic-looking paintball guns (with requisite orange tips to identify them as replicas). Uzi himself live-streamed the paintball fight on Instagram and the footage eventually found its way to YouTube. Police cited Uzi and his friends, which is about the best-case outcome considering the news over the past, let’s just say 200 years.
Thankfully, since Uzi won’t face any worse consequences like jail time, he’ll likely have time to finish up his rumored collaborative project with Future while continuing to contribute outstanding guest verses like the ones he’s shared with A Boogie, Gunna, and Lil Tecca.
Check out our review of Uzi’s 2020 albums Eternal Atake and LUV Vs. The World 2.
Lil Uzi Vert is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.