Toronto rapper Top5 has been arrested following a gun investigation, according to The Toronto Star.
The popular Canadian rapper, born Hassan Ali, was arrested after officers executed a search warrant in Markham, Ontario. He faces five charges including possession of a restricted weapon with ammunition and careless storage of a weapon.
In September, Top5 was released from prison after the judge in his murder case dismissed social media evidence that prosecutors believed proved that the rapper was behind a fatal shooting in 2021.
"An innocent man just came home," he told reporters outside the courthouse at the time.
Top5 also described himself as a "businessman" and denied that he was a member of alleged criminal group Go Getem Gang. His lawyer, Gary Grill, said Ali was prosecuted because he and other rappers "portray themselves as the biggest, baddest gangsters on the planet. That's what sells."
Top5 was informed that his charges were being stayed on Sept. 23. He was arrested on first-degree murder charges in October 2021 in Los Angeles when he was accused of fatally shooting Hashim Omar Hashi.
Unsealed court documents portrayed the motive as a case of potential mistaken identity. Prosecutors alleged that Hashi was believed to be the person responsible for killing Top5’s brother, Said Ali, in 2017. The rapper was one of three people charged in the killing.
