Megan Thee Stallion has taken the stand in the felony assault trial of singer Tory Lanez
Megan, 27, entered the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles on Tuesday dressed in a bright purple suit, and directed a smile at a group of cheering fans who’d been waiting in the hallway to see her.
Lanez, meanwhile, entered the building shortly after while holding hands with his young son.
Megan was called to the witness stand on the second day of the trial, which stems from a 2020 incident in which Lanez allegedly s.h.o.t the “Sweetest Pie” rapper in the foot three times after yelling, “Dance, b..it.ch!”
The pair, whom Megan has said had a friendly relationship before the incident, allegedly got into an argument in the car while leaving a Hollywood Hills party thrown by Kylie Jenner. Her former friend Kelsey Nicole was also in the vehicle.
The Grammy-winning rapper recounted her personal relationships with both Lanez, 30, and Nicole, and said that she and Lanez began arguing after she wanted to leave Jenner’s house and he didn’t. Her stylist had left the party, and she therefore needed Lanez to give her a ride.
Megan told the court that as they left in the car, Lanez argued with both her and with Nicole, calling them by expletives. She said she exited the vehicle while it was on a main street—but once she realized she didn’t know the area, made moves to get back inside, citing her status as a celebrity.
The star said she was facing the car and saw Lanez shoot her as he stood above her on one of the SUV’s steps.
Prosecutors said during opening statements on Monday that the shots left three bullet fragments in Megan’s feet, and that the argument began after Megan criticized his “musical skills,” according to BuzzFeed News.
Texts from Lanez to Megan in which he apologized and said he “genuinely just got too drunk” but “can’t change what I did” were reportedly read in court, though Lanez’s defense attorneys claimed he was not admitting to shooting a gun, but to being involved with both Megan and Kelsey Nicole.
Lanez, real name Daystar Peterson, was charged in October 2020 with one felony count each of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, personal use of a firearm and carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle. He pleaded not guilty to both charges in November 2020.
In October 2022, he was ordered under house arrest and electronic monitoring, with Deputy District Attorney Alexander Bott arguing at the time that Lanez posed a danger to society and previously defied court orders not to come within 100 yards of Megan
The “Luv” singer’s house arrest was terminated earlier this month in order for him to prepare for trial, according to Rolling Stone.
Since identifying Lanez as her alleged shooter in August 2020, Megan has been forced to face critics who support Lanez, and in June, said she felt as though she had become “the villain” in the situation.
She told Rolling Stone in June that she hopes to see Lanez behind bars, and that the incident has scarred her. She also said she underwent surgery the night of the shooting, and spent approximately four days in a California hospital to treat wounds she initially told police and doctors were the result of accidentally stepping on glass.
The star said she also had to turn to physical therapy to learn how to walk again.
