Tekashi 6ix9ine assault suspects have been arrested

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By Phoebe Egoroff

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Several suspects have been arrested in connection with a violent assault on US rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine.

The 26-year-old rapper's attorney, Lance Lazzaro, revealed that his client was rushed to a hospital after he was attacked at a sauna in LA Fitness in southern Florida last week on March 21.

Footage of the attack was then shared on social media and displays two men towering over the rainbow-haired rapper - whose legal name is Daniel Hernandez - on the bathroom floor, as he tries to cover his head from the blows.

In the clip - which received tens of thousands of views on Twitter - one of the men can be heard shouting "shut the f*** up" at the star, as one of them kicks his stomach and the other punches his head. 6ix9ine's lawyer added that he had no personal security with him.

At the time, the men involved in the incident remarked that they were assaulting him for being a "rat".

The self-proclaimed 'King of New York' was sentenced to two years in prison in 2019 for his role in the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods gang - although he faced decades in prison on racketeering and other charges. He eventually decided to take a plea deal that reduced his time in prison, in exchange for assisting police officers to take down his former Bloods associates.

In the wake of the incident, 6ix9ine's bodyguard took to Instagram to post a story denying accusations that he had arranged for the two men to beat up his client at the gym. "69 a grown man n he wanted to do cardio on his own," he wrote on his Instagram story. "He be outside like that...I can't control him...but to say I set him up...false allegations.. [something] minorities used to...we be accused of nothing."

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Credit: Bam Bam Instagram Story

Now, it appears that three men have been arrested in relation to the assault and robbery. TMZ reported that the Palm Beach Sheriff's Office arrested Rafael Medina, Jr., Octavious Medina and Anthony Maldonado, who were booked on Thursday (March 30) and processed into county jail.

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Three men have been arrested in relation to the violent assault and robbery of Tekashi 6ix9ine. Credit: MediaPunch Inc / Alamy

The outlet reported that 6ix9ine has chosen not to increase his security following the violent incident, with the 'GOOBA' rapper's ex-girlfriend saying that both her and her daughter Saraiyah have been left "embarrassed" over 6ix9ine's antics.

She also added that she's disappointed that one day her daughter will grow up and see how her father has behaved, adding that it was "reckless" of the 6ix9ine not to have security with him, especially following his controversial court case where he testified against many high-profile criminals and gang members.

Featured image credit: Sipa US / Alamy