Desiigner Arrested on Domestic Violence Charge in South Carolina, Also Faces Property Damage Counts

Desiigner, the Brooklyn rapper born Sidney Selby III, was arrested Wednesday in South Carolina on a second-degree domestic violence charge, according to Horry County Sheriff's Office records. Booking records show he was taken into custody at 2:21 p.m. ET and remains held without bail.

The domestic violence charge is not the only count he faces. Authorities also charged him with three counts of malicious injury to animals and personal property valued between $2,000 and $10,000, charges that each carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison if he is convicted.

According to the police report, Desiigner got into an argument with his girlfriend, who is also the mother of his child, over televisions that had been mounted on a wall inside their home. The disagreement escalated to the point where he allegedly used a hammer to smash both of her phones.

The report indicates that the woman fled the home with their child, seeking refuge at a neighbor's house, where she locked herself in a bathroom. While she hid, Desiigner allegedly caused damage to the neighbor's property, including the car and window, apparently while attempting to force his way inside to reach her. She also told police that he shoved her physically at some point during the altercation and threw her purse over a fence.

This is far from the rapper's first brush with law enforcement. He was arrested in South Carolina once before, on March 23, on a third-degree domestic violence charge. That case ended quickly, at least in terms of his immediate custody, when he posted a $1,500 bond and was released the following day. His legal troubles date back further still. In April 2023, he was arrested and charged with indecent exposure after authorities alleged he had been masturbating aboard a Delta Airlines flight traveling from Tokyo to Minneapolis.

Desiigner first rose to prominence in 2016 with his breakout single "Panda," which spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of the defining hip-hop records of that year. He followed that success with two more entries in the Hot 100's top 40, including his own single "Timmy Turner," which peaked at No. 34, and a featured guest verse on BTS's "Mic Drop," which reached No. 28. Those hits established him as one of the more recognizable voices to emerge from New York's hip-hop scene in the mid-2010s, even as his career since then has been defined as much by legal setbacks as by musical output.

More recently, he has continued releasing new material despite the mounting legal issues. He put out a deluxe edition of his project ii in April, followed by a new single titled "Outside" in May through LOD Entertainment. Those releases suggest he has remained active in the studio even as his personal life has repeatedly intersected with law enforcement.

Representatives for Desiigner have not issued a comment on the latest arrest. It remains unclear when he is expected to appear in court on the new charges, or how the pending case might affect the earlier domestic violence charge still working its way through the South Carolina court system.