Kodak Black’s Felony Fleeing Charge Dismissed, Florida Also Drops MDMA Case

Kodak Black has had two Florida criminal cases end within days, with a judge dismissing a felony fleeing charge after bodycam footage showed he was never told he was detained or ordered to remain, followed by prosecutors dropping a separate MDMA case.

Broward Circuit Judge George Odom dismissed the fleeing and eluding charge against the rapper, whose legal name is Bill Kapri, on September 8. The dismissal was with prejudice, preventing prosecutors from bringing the same charge again.

Three days later, Orange County prosecutors declined to pursue a separate case accusing Kapri of trafficking MDMA, commonly known as molly or ecstasy, citing insufficient evidence that he possessed the drugs.

The Broward case stemmed from a February 27 encounter in Pompano Beach. Authorities accused Kapri of driving away after being stopped by a Broward Sheriff’s deputy, leading to his arrest in May.

Defense attorney Bradford Cohen moved to dismiss the case in August, arguing that the bodycam footage showed Kapri had never been placed under arrest, detained or ordered to stay.

According to the defense filing, the deputy approached Kapri’s Jeep and asked, “Hey Yak, what’s goin’ on boss? You good?” Kapri said he was fine. The officer then turned his attention elsewhere, and Kapri later got into the Jeep and drove away.

Cohen argued the deputy never told Kapri he was conducting a traffic stop, never asked for his license or insurance, and never said he was not free to leave.

Florida’s fleeing law requires prosecutors to show that a driver knew a law enforcement officer had ordered the vehicle to stop and then willfully refused to comply or drove away after stopping. Cohen argued the bodycam failed to establish that any order had been given.

“An officer’s unexpressed intent is not an order, and a driver cannot willfully refuse to obey a command he was never given,” Cohen wrote.

Prosecutors did not oppose the motion.

Odom ruled that even when the undisputed facts were viewed in the light most favorable to the state, prosecutors could not establish every required element of the felony charge.

Kapri had turned himself in on a warrant in May. He was initially accused of fleeing and eluding law enforcement and resisting an officer without violence, although prosecutors ultimately filed only the fleeing charge.

His separate Orange County case arose from another May arrest involving allegations that he trafficked MDMA.

Prosecutors filed a notice declining to prosecute that case on September 11 after determining there was insufficient evidence to establish that Kapri possessed the drugs. A judge then ended his remaining bond and pretrial supervision requirements.

The two decisions close both Florida criminal cases that had been pending against Kapri this year.

Kapri has faced several criminal cases during his career, including federal weapons charges that resulted in a prison sentence later commuted by President Donald Trump in 2021. Neither of the two Florida cases dismissed this month reached trial.