Cuban Singer Ovi Arrested In Miami For Allegedly Brandishing Gun At Driver During Road Rage Incident
Reggaeton and Latin trap singer Ovi is facing multiple charges after police said he was caught on video pointing a gun at a fellow driver on a busy Miami road Monday afternoon.
According to police, the 28-year-old Cuban singer was involved in a road rage altercation on Tamiami Trail near Florida's Turnpike. The victim, identified as model Giuseppe Benignini, reported that Ovi, while driving an iridescent McLaren, nearly collided with his vehicle before brandishing a firearm, as per NBC 6 South Florida.
The police report indicated that tension between the two drivers started when Ovi — real name Ovidio Crespo-Retureta — suddenly switched lanes and almost hit Benignini's car. When the model honked his horn, the singer pulled out a gun and pointed at the other driver.
Benignini, believing he was about to be shot, ducked to avoid harm. He was able to record video footage of the confrontation and posted it to Instagram, where it went viral.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the singer Ovi took out a gun and threatened me here in Miami," Benignini said in Spanish in the video clip, which was also reposted on the popular Instagram account, Only in Dade.
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Benignini continued, "When he pulls the gun out, I dodge and go into the other lane and quickly move up, and he drives up to my side. When he drives up to my side, he takes out the gun again through the window and points it at me like this. I thought he was going to shoot me."
As of this writing, the reposted video had garnered over 14,000 likes and 1,800 comments.
Benignini also forwarded the video to police, who later arrested Ovi on Tuesday while he was driving a black Lamborghini Urus. During the arrest, authorities discovered a black Sig Sauer handgun in Ovi's waistband. Additional contraband, including Percocet pills and Tasers, was also found inside the vehicle.
According to an update by Only In Dade, the artist was booked on multiple charges, including aggravated assault with deadly weapon, improper exhibition of a firearm and possession of a controlled substance.
Ovi made a court appearance Wednesday, where bond was set at $6,500. Prosecutors initially sought to bar the singer from possessing firearms, but his defense attorney successfully argued that he should still be allowed to carry them.
Speaking about the road rage incident in an interview with NBC 6, Benignini admitted in Spanish that he was "scared to death."
"Unfortunately it was him, and now ultimately justice will do what it's supposed to do. I don't have a say in what's going to happen," he said of the Cuban singer, who has close to 3 million followers on Instagram.
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