Hip-hop music fans in Iowa and around the country may know Willie Maxwell better by his stage name Fetty Wap. Wap’s ‘Trap Queen” reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2015, but the 26-year-old rapper was making headlines of a different sort on Nov. 3. That was when officers with the New York City Police Department took Wap into custody on drunk driving, street racing and motor vehicle charges following an alleged early morning street race on a Brooklyn highway.
Police say that Wap, who was behind the wheel of his girlfriend’s Mercedes sedan, reached speeds of up to 105 mph and was weaving in and out of traffic as he raced a friend on the Gowanus Expressway at approximately 1:20 a.m. Prosecutors say that Wap admitted to consuming two glasses of cognac at a New Jersey nightspot before getting behind the wheel, and reports stated that the hip-hop star handed over a suspended New Jersey driver’s license to officers at the scene.
A breath test is said to have measured Wap’s blood alcohol level at .09 percent, slightly higher than the legal limit. An arraignment judge released Wap without imposing bail, but he warned the rapper to remain a passenger or take public transportation while his case is pending. Wap seemed to admit that he may have been speeding when questioned by reporters, but he vehemently denies placing other road users in danger.
Individuals who have had little contact with police officers often feel the need to confess or explain themselves after being pulled over, but experienced criminal defense attorneys would likely advise against such behavior. Most drunk driving cases are resolved at the negotiating table rather than in a courtroom, and spontaneous admissions could make securing a favorable outcome more difficult.
Source: NY Daily News, “Fetty Wap cuffed on DWI, drag racing charges in Brooklyn”, Ellen Moynihan and Graham Rayman, Nov. 3, 2017
