LAKE WORTH, Fla. (AP) — Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine, whose testimony against his own gang helped convict two high-ranking members, was assaulted by several people at a gym in Florida, officials said Wednesday.
An “altercation between several individuals” brought Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputies to an LA Fitness outlet in Lake Worth on Tuesday night, the sheriff’s office said in a social media post.
The assault left the rapper, whose real name is Daniel Hernandez, with several injuries. He was taken to a hospital, but his injuries were not considered life-threatening, officials said.
A motive for the assault, including whether it was connected to his cooperation with prosecutors, was unclear. No arrests have been made, and investigators have asked anyone with information to contact them.
The rapper’s attorney, Lance Lazzaro, did not respond to an email from The Associated Press. But he told other news outlets that Hernandez was attacked by three or four people in the gym’s sauna.
Tekashi 6ix9ine, known for his rainbow-colored hair and “69” tattoo on his forehead, previously faced decades in prison as part of a racketeering case in which he was accused of using a violent gang as a “personal hit squad.”
Instead, his sentence was reduced to about two years after his testimony against the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods, earning him a label as a “snitch.”