Rapper Polo G was arrested on Saturday, Oct. 19 in Los Angeles, California. The 25-year-old was pulled over for speeding, according to a report by TMZ, but was detained when police found a loaded gun in his car. A spokesperson for the LAPD told Billboard that Polo G was booked on Saturday afternoon and released on Monday, Oct. 21.
Polo G – whose real name is Taurus Tremani Bartlett – was reportedly driving fast through the San Fernando Valley on Saturday when police hurried to pull him him over. They searched his car during the traffic stop and allegedly found a loaded pistol inside. He was booked for felony possession of a concealed weapon, though the exact circumstances leading to that charge are unclear. The arrest took place at the corner of Plummer Street and Topanga Canyon Boulevard.
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Gun laws in California are more circumstantial and specific than those in many other states, as California may issue “concealed-carry weapons permits” with strict limitations on them. It’s unclear whether Bartlett had any such permit, or if the firearm police found was legally owned and registered. Any number of technicalities could have made this situation illegal. While Bartlett has been arrested in the past, he is not a felon, which is one of the most straightforward ways for a gun possession violation to be escalated.
It’s unclear if this arrest will impact Bartlett’s upcoming Hood Poet tour, which is scheduled to begin on Thursday, Oct. 24 in Denver, Colorado. The rapper released his fourth studio album, Hood Poet, back in August, and he was scheduled to perform throughout the U.S. from now until mid-December. At the time of this writing, tickets for those concerts are still on sale.
Bartlett was arrested in Miami, Florida in June of 2021 while leaving his own album release party. He was charged with two felonies and three misdemeanors, but all those charges were dropped after Bartlett agreed to agreed to attend an anger management program. He was arrested again in August of 2023 in Los Angeles when police searched his home in connection to a robbery. They found a short-barreled rifle that is illegal to possess in California altogether and also charged him with kidnapping, robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. He was released on bail.
Finally, Bartlett’s most recent arrest before now was in April of 2024 in Manhattan. The rapper reportedly had a loaded handgun in his hotel room which was found by employees, prompting a call to police. Bartlett posted bail in that case as well, and it’s unclear what comes next in the legal process. For now, fans are focused on what this means for the upcoming tour.
