Tory Lanez was hospitalized on Monday after a fellow inmate at the California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi attacked the rapper at around 7:20 a.m. local time, a spokesperson for the prison told ABC News.
“Staff immediately responded, activated 911 and began medical aid. Peterson was subsequently transported to an outside medical facility for further treatment,” the spokesperson said.
The rapper, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, is serving a 10-year prison sentence for shooting and injuring fellow hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion, whose legal name is Megan Pete, in July 2020.
The prison spokesperson did not provide further comment when asked about the nature of Peterson’s injuries, whether he has been released from the hospital or whether a suspect has been charged in the attack.
Crystal Morgan, an attorney representing Peterson, confirmed to ABC News that the rapper was attacked at the correctional facility and said that as of Monday afternoon he remains hospitalized.
Morgan said she has not been able to obtain any information about his injuries or his condition and is “in the dark” like everyone else. Morgan added she called Peterson’s family to notify them of the attack.
The prison’s Investigative Services Unit and the Kern County District Attorney’s Office launched a probe into the incident, while the Office of the Inspector General has been notified, the spokesperson said.
ABC News has reached out to the DA’s office for additional comment.
Singer Tory Lanez returns to the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center for his trial, Dec. 13, 2022, in Los Angeles.
Damian Dovarganes/AP
Peterson was found guilty on Dec. 23, 2022, of three charges for shooting and injuring Pete in both feet as they left a party in the Hollywood Hills on July 12, 2020.
He was initially charged in October 2020 with one felony count each of assault with a semi-automatic firearm (personal use of a firearm) and carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle, according to charging documents obtained by ABC News.
He was also charged ahead of his trial in December 2022 with an additional felony count of discharging a firearm with gross negligence. Lanez, who chose not to take the witness stand during the trial, pleaded not guilty to all three charges.
His defense attorneys argued during the trial that Lanez was not the shooter and he has maintained his innocence in multiple social media posts since his sentencing last year.
During his sentencing hearing, prosecutors read an impact statement from Pete — who testified during the trial — in which she called for Peterson to “be forced to face the full consequences of his heinous actions and face justice.”
“He not only shot me, he made a mockery of my trauma. He tried to position himself as a victim and set out to destroy my character and my soul,” Pete said in her impact statement.
Peterson was denied bond by a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge on Sept. 14, 2023, as his legal team appeals his 10-year sentence.
