Did Lil Tjay get arrested? Rapper addresses reports on social media alongside photos of him celebrating his birthday

Rapper Lil Tjay has once again had a run-in with the law, this time on his 23rd birthday. The drill rapper, whose real name is Tione Jayden Merritt, was arrested at Miami-Opa Locka airport on Tuesday, April 30.

According to Complex News, the Miami Dade Police Department confirmed the arrest in an email, saying that Lil Tjay was arrested on a warrant at the Flordia airport at approximately 6.30 pm local time. He has since been released on a $500 bond.

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Lil Tjay arrested at Florida airport on his 23rd birthday

According to Complex, Lil Tjay's arrest first became public when The Shade Room published the rapper's mugshot on Instagram on Tuesday, April 30.

According to Hot New Hip Hop, the rapper was flying from Miami to an undisclosed location to celebrate his 23rd birthday with his friends when he was intercepted by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Miami-Opa Locka airport.

Authorities reportedly put him in a nearby car and drove him away. He was later released on a $500 bond. According to Complex, the warrant for his arrest, dated September 8, 2021, was seemingly related to a missed court date.

After his release, the rapper took to Instagram to address the reports of his arrest, posting pictures of him enjoying his birthday in luxury. The post was captioned:

"I AINT HEAR NUN THE BLOGS SAID CAUSE WHERE IM AT IT AINT NO SERVICE 500 ON MY BDAY SHI** BOUT NUN I DESERVE IT"

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Lil Tjay's other arrests explored

According to Billboard, Lil Tjay was arrested on reckless endangerment charges in New York on June 6, 2023, while streaming on Instagram Live. The video, which has since been circulating on social media, saw the rapper telling police officer not to touch him.

“No, bro. Hell no. What’s in the car? I don’t know what’s in the car. Don’t touch me. There’s no firearm in the car,” the rapper was heard saying.

The then 22-year-old rapper was restrained and handcuffed. His lawyer, Dawn Florio, addressed the issue with TMZ, claiming that the rapper was filming a music video when the police arrived and arrested him for reckless endangerment.

A spokesperson for the NYP confirmed the arrest, stating that Lil TJay was arrested "on charges of reckless endangerment, obstructing governmental administration, and criminal possession of a weapon."

"Police observed a male waving what appeared to be a black firearm from a sunroof of a moving motor vehicle. The male was taken into custody and an imitation pistol was recovered,” the spokesperson continued.

Earlier that year, on January 16, the rapper and four others were arrested after the police pulled over their car and allegedly found four loaded guns without valid licenses in the vehicle. The group was on their way to film a music video with Ice Spice when they were pulled over.

They were charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and held on $30,000 cash bail and $90,000 bond by the NYC Department of Corrections. The rapper was arrested for the second time just two weeks later for failure to appear in court for his prior charges.

According to Billboard, his lawyer Florio said that Lil Tjay was "jailed for something that was not his fault" because another Judge revoked his bond and put him back in jail for missing court, despite having been excused from appearing in court by an arraignment Judge. His family posted bail after he was arrested and he was released.