NewsNation

Rapper Quavo aboard Miami yacht during alleged strong-arm robbery

Quavo arrives at the ESPY awards on Wednesday, July 12, 2023, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

MIAMI, Fla. (WFLA) – Migos rapper Quavo was among a number of people on board a yacht where a strong-arm robbery occurred on Sunday night, according to the Miami Beach Police Department.

Police said the incident was reported shortly before 9 p.m.

According to the report, Quavo, whose real name is Quavious Keyate Marshall, 32, was with a group of people on a yacht that was being rented. They were told their rental time was running out and the boat needed to be returned.

Police said that’s when two men, Cornell Whitfield, 39, of Texas, and Anteneh Workeneh, 32, of Georgia, allegedly “became very aggressive” toward the boat captain and crew and “demanded a refund.”

The police report stated that the boat captain said Whitfield told him that if he turned around, he would “kill him and throw him off the boat.” The captain also told police that Whitfield removed the wallet from his pocket, which contained about $3,500, and his phone before threatening another crew member.

According to police, Whitfield told the crew member that if the rental money didn’t get returned, he would “kill him as well.” That crew member then went to retrieve the money, about $5,000, from one of the rooms.

The owner of the boat was eventually contacted and notified law enforcement.

Based on the police report, the boat captain told officials Whitfield followed the crew member to the room to retrieve the money. However, the crew member gave police a conflicting statement, saying he was not followed into the room.

MBPD confirmed that while people were detained for questioning, no arrests were made due to the totality of the circumstances and conflicting statements.

“It shall be noted that although two firearms were located on scene, no threats were made with the firearms. No cameras were located on the boat that faced where the alleged incident took place,” the report read.

The police department said all individuals involved left the scene without incident. The investigation is ongoing.

Quavo is a member of the Grammy-nominated rap group Migos from suburban Atlanta. Last year, Migos rapper Takeoff, Quavo’s nephew, was fatally shot outside a Houston bowling alley.

Migos, whose third member is Takeoff’s cousin Offset, first broke through with the massive hit “Versace” in 2013. They had four Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. They put out a trilogy of albums called “Culture,” “Culture II” and “Culture III,” with the first two hitting No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart. They also earned an ASCAP Vanguard Award in 2018 for their streaming success with multiplatinum songs like “Motorsport (featuring Cardi B and Nicki Minaj),” “Stir Fry,” and “Walk It Talk It.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.