Why was Akon arrested?

Singer Akon was arrested last week in DeKalb County, Georgia, by the Chamblee Police Department on Friday (7 November), according to a police report. However, he was released just six hours later.

The incident began when security cameras alerted authorities that a person with an out-of-country arrest warrant was at Tint World, an automotive service centre, dropping off their car.

According to an incident report obtained by The Independent, Akon was wanted in connection with an earlier offence from two months prior, when police discovered the 'Locked Up' singer had been driving with a suspended licence.

Akon, whose real name is Aliaune Thiam, reportedly became stranded in September after his Tesla Cybertruck’s battery died, according to the Roswell Police Department.

His car was towed after officers found that his licence had been suspended for failing to appear in court in January 2023. At the time, police also confiscated an illegal vape from the vehicle.

Despite the recent arrest, Akon appears to be continuing with his tour, frequently posting updates on Instagram. One post on Wednesday (12 November) showed him performing a snippet of his track 'Akon’s Beautiful Day', followed hours later by a reposted AI-generated meme video.

Akon has not yet publicly commented on the matter. However, a representative told The Independent: “Due to a clerical issue the suspended license should have never been escalated, it was paid but not properly entered into the system. This will be soon rectified in the courts in early December.”

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