LEWISTON, N.Y. — Kodak Black was arrested on drug and weapons charges as the rapper tried to cross from Canada into the United States near Niagara Falls, law enforcement officials said Thursday.
Bill Kapri, whose stage name is Kodak Black, was driving two other people in a Cadillac Escalade with temporary California registration across the Lewiston-Queenston International Bridge at 7:20 p.m. Wednesday, according to New York state police. It was unclear where the men in the Escalade and a second car were headed, but Black had been scheduled to perform that night in Boston, about 400 miles east.
The men admitted to border agents that they possessed marijuana and firearms. State police, who were called in, said that Black was found with marijuana and that officers discovered a loaded Glock 9mm pistol in the vehicle. No one in the car had a permit for the pistol.
The 21-year-old rapper from Miramar, Florida, was arrested on charges of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and unlawful possession of marijuana.
Black, who also faces a charge in South Carolina of first-degree criminal sexual misconduct for allegedly raping a woman after a 2016 concert, was arraigned in a town court and remanded to county jail with bail set at $20,000 cash or $40,000.
The two passengers in the Escalade face a weapons charge. The driver of the second car, a Porsche, faces the same charges as Black, after attempting to cross with three loaded handguns in the car, police said
Black was in jail midday Thursday, and it was not immediately clear whether he had an attorney. Representatives at Black’s record label and Live Nation didn’t reply to emails seeking comment from The Associated Press.
Black’s hits include “Tunnel Vision,” ”Wake Up in the City” with Bruno Mars and Gucci Mane, “No Flockin’,” and “Zeze,” which peaked at No. 2 on Billboard Hot 100 chart. His last album, 2018’s “Dying to Live,” debuted at No. 1 on the charts.
In Boston, police responded to what they described as “generally unruly behavior” Wednesday night after Black’s scheduled shows at a city club were canceled.
Department spokesman Officer Stephen McNulty said police responded to the House of Blues at about 8:20 p.m. on reports of a disturbance. One man was arrested for allegedly assaulting a member of the club’s security staff and two people required medical assistance.
Police say there were about 200 people outside the club and it took about 30 minutes to disperse the crowd.
