Police mistakenly identify Lil Uzi Vert as dog-napper

Lil Uzi Vert was mis-identified by local police as being the person at the centre of a dog-napping incident in Pennsylvania yesterday (August 31).

The Wilkes-Barre Township Police Department posted on Facebook about a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy named Riku that had been stolen, alongside a photograph that was intended to be of the alleged suspect – but was in fact a picture of the Philadelphia rapper.

The post was eventually corrected, with the genuine suspect’s photo replacing Uzi’s, but not before the mistake had been shared widely online.

“The original photo of the male provided by the establishment was not the correct male,” said the Police Department in a statement. “We apologize for the error and any confusion.”

Uzi’s management team Roc Nation issued the following statement in response: “Lil Uzi Vert was nowhere near Pennsylvania when this theft occurred, and the Wilkes-Barre Township Police Department should be embarrassed and ashamed for disparaging Uzi’s character.

“This grave error could’ve had significant repercussions on Uzi’s career and epitomizes how Black men can be wrongfully charged and arrested by police departments across the country. Uzi loves all animals and this serious mistake has deterred the apprehension of the kidnapper. Our collective hope is that the puppy is safely and promptly rescued.”

Uzi’s third studio album ‘Pink Tape’ was released in June, featuring guest spots from Travis Scott, Nicki Minaj, Bring Me the Horizon and others. It includes the 2022 single ‘Just Wanna Rock’ and a cover of System of a Down’s 2001 song ‘Chop Suey!’.

They will begin their headline tour of the US to support the album’s release on October 21 at The Armory in Minneapolis, wrapping up at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center a month later. See the full list of dates below.

Lil Uzi joined Paramore on stage in June at Madison Square Garden in New York, performing the latter’s song ‘Misery Business’. Later that month, Uzi played at the Governors Ball event in the same city, which NME described as being “hot with energy”.

Lil Uzi Vert’s upcoming US tour dates are:

OCTOBER
Saturday 21 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Armory
Monday 23 – Chicago, Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom
Tuesday 24 – Cincinnati, Andrew J Brady Music Center
Wednesday 25 – Detroit, Fox Theatre
Tuesday 31 – Boston, MGM Music Hall at Fenway

NOVEMBER
Thursday 2 – Hampton, Hampton Coliseum
Friday 3 – Raleigh, PNC Arena
Sunday 5 – Birmingham, Avondale Brewing Company
Monday 6 – Atlanta, Coca Cola Roxy
Wednesday 8 – Dallas, South Side Ballroom
Thursday 9 – Austin, Moody Center
Friday 10 – Houston, 713 Music Hall
Monday 13 – Denver, Fillmore Auditorium
Thursday 16 – Los Angeles, Kia Forum
Saturday 18 – San Francisco, Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
Monday 20 – Brooklyn, Barclays Center
Wednesday 22 – Philadelphia, Wells Fargo Center

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