Offset given 50 hours of community service for assault of weed dispensary guard
The incident with the former Migos rapper occurred back in March 2025
by Laura Molloy · NMEOffset has been given 50 hours of community service for assaulting a weed dispensary guard.
The former Migos rapper – real name is Kiari Kendrell Cephus – has avoided jail time for an assault charge after a judge approved his request for a diversion program.
It came after guard Jim Leobardo Sanchez filed a lawsuit against Offset last October, saying the rapper “became hostile, verbally confrontational” and “physically attacked [Sanchez] by striking him in the face”, during the incident in March 2025. “Several unidentified individuals who were accompanying defendant Cephus then proceeded to grab, push, and further assault and batter plaintiff,” the complaint reads.
Sanchez claims he suffered injuries that left him in “immediate and severe pain”, and that he was treated by paramedics at the scene before he was transported to a local hospital. Sanchez says he continues to experience “persistent headaches, neck pain, and related symptoms.”
Under the terms of the agreement, the criminal charge will be dismissed if Offset completes 50 hours of community service, attends an anger management program, and avoids any further legal violations over the next 12 months, as per Rolling Stone.
Offset had asked for a six-month diversion period, but the judge doubled it to a full year at a hearing last week, which he did not attend.
In their written opposition to the motion, prosecutors described the episode as a “crime of violence against the victim.” According to the filing, Offset refused to provide identification at the MedMen dispensary near LAX airport on March 13, 2025, repeatedly asking, “Do you know who I am?”
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Citing an LAPD narrative included in the filings, prosecutors said the security guard again asked to see identification, at which point Offset “pushed him on his vest and then punched him with his right fist once to his left cheek.” They said Offset fled the scene after the guard sprayed pepper spray in his face.
“It has been more than 14 months since the embarrassing and regretful incident that led to the current charge. Since that time, Mr Cephus has kept his nose clean and has worked steadily to provide for himself and his children,” Offset’s lawyer, Christy O’Connor, wrote in her motion seeking diversion.
The defense motion said that Offset was raised by a single mother in Atlanta and “struggled to find his way” with no male role model to guide him. They also implied that the security guard was seeking a payday.
“One minute after the confrontation, the security guard resumes his position at the front door, greeting customers and scanning their IDs. He does not touch or rub his head or cheek. He does not apply ice. He can be seen smiling and laughing with his co-workers while continuing to perform his job duties,” the defense motion says. It claims the guard only called for an ambulance after his co-worker told him that Offset was a “famous rapper.”
A hearing in the civil case is set for August 5.
In other news, back in April, Offset was shot in a valet area outside the Seminole Hard Rock hotel and casino on April 6. A few weeks later, he played his first set since being shot and arrived on stage in a wheelchair.