Rapper Arrested After Cops Allegedly Find Gun and Weed During Traffic Stop
Houston rapper Z-Ro was arrested earlier this month during a traffic stop when police allegedly found marijuana and a weapon inside his car. Z-Ro, whose real name is Joseph McVey, is related to rapper Trae Tha Truth, who was allegedly one of the people who jumped McVey in a video TMZ published in September. McVey was previously arrested in 2017 for allegedly assaulting an ex-girlfriend, rapper Just Brittany.
McVey, 45, was arrested on Oct. 14, the Harris County Constable's Office, Precinct 4, said in a Facebook statement. The rapper allegedly had a "firearm" inside his vehicle, and deputies discovered he was a convicted felon. During a search of his car, deputies allegedly discovered 4.7 oz. of marijuana. He was booked into the Harris County jail and charged with "felon in possession of a firearm." The Facebook statement included no further information on McVey's court date or bond information.
McVey previously made headlines in August and September. During 50 Cent's Tycoon Weekend in Houston, a video published on Twitter appeared to show McVey being jumped by his cousin, Trae Tha Truth. Trae later disputed the idea that it was an ambush. "It wasn't no 7-on-1 situation. It wasn't no blindside ambush," Trae said in a since-deleted Instagram post, reports HipHopDX. "That's not what this is. This is family business, internal stuff that's been going on for 10, 15 years that's probably been building up and just spilled over into s—." Trae went on to say that he had "no hate" towards McVey.
However, on Sept. 2, TMZ published a longer video of the altercation that appeared to dispute Trae's side of the story. The video appears to show Trae as one of the people attacking McVey. "[I was] minding my business and when I walked outside, I'm called over to the side of sprinter van and [Trae] was like, 'Ay, when you get finished doin' that, come take this walk with me right quick," McVey told TMZ in an interview shortly after the altercation. "I was like, 'You talkin' to me?' I had to make sure he was talking to me 'cause I mean, I see you everywhere, you see me everywhere. So when I walked over there, the only thing I saw after that was this [gestures to being punched in the face]."
McVey also ran into trouble with authorities back in July 2017. At the time, TMZ reported McVey was arrested for allegedly assaulting his ex Just Brittany for over two hours in April 2017. Brittany reportedly gave police an audio recording of the alleged incident. He was charged with felony aggravated assault. The case was dismissed in January 2019 after McVey finished a batter intervention program, the Houston Chronicle reported.