Rapper 50 Cent has been on both sides of the law in his controversial and successful career and this time he’s standing beside an embattled NYPD detective.
The New York Daily News reports that 50 was sitting between former Detective David Terrell and Terrell’s lawyer Eric Sanders at the Smoker at New York Expo Center in the Bronx on Thursday during a boxing tournament. The crowd – made up of mostly cops — starting yelling “Hey 50! Get the Strap! Get the Strap!” sources said.
Terrell was stripped of his badge and gun and has been on desk duty since 2016 after being accused of falsely arresting several people— most notably 18-year-old Pedro Hernandez, whom he arrested as a suspect in a 2015 shooting.
Hernandez was locked up for a year at Rikers Island after being arrested for the 2015 shooting of a 15-year-old boy. He maintained his innocence but was unable to pay his $100 bail. His case was eventually dropped.
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Terrell has been sued multiple times on allegations of false arrests, including that of Hernandez. Terrell calls the accusations against him ridiculous and said they are being made by gang members suing the city.
“It makes me upset. I have a mother, I have brothers. I have aunts, and for someone to call you a terrorist and a corrupt cop with no facts whatsoever,” Terrell said.
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Sanders said the rapper didn’t know Terrell— or his issues with the department — until Thursday, but the two hit it off.
“They met there and hung out,” Sanders said. “Everyone had a good time.”
Terrell said the two didn’t talk about his case, but talked about everything from sports to finances.
“He was really a regular guy,” Terrell said. “It was like hanging out with a friend that you had for 20 years.”