CHAMBLEY, Ga. — Hip-hop artist Akon was arrested last week in suburban Atlanta after he failed to appear in court to receive a ticket for driving with a suspended license.
Police records say Akon, whose legal name is Aliaune Thiam, was arrested Friday by police in Chamblee, northeast of Atlanta. Akon was taken to the DeKalb County Jail where he was turned over to Roswell Police. They in turn placed Thiam in another prison, after which he posted bail and was released the same day.
Akon, born in the United States to Senegalese parents, rose to Rank R.&B's fame following his 2004 debut album. The Grammy Award-nominated singer has sung more than a dozen Top 10 hits, including “Smack That,” “I Wanna Love You” and “Locked Up.” He also took an active part in charitable enterprises V Africalived in Senegal as a child.
Representatives for Akon did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
Police reports from Roswell say Akon, who listed an address in a gated community in nearby Alpharetta, was found Sept. 10 in a disabled Tesla Cybertruck on a busy street. The police officer called a tow truck. While he waited, the officer ran a license plate number and discovered Akon did not have valid auto insurance and his driver's license was suspended for failing to appear for a court hearing in January 2023, the report said.
Police impounded the truck and charged Akon with driving without a valid license, the report said, took away his license and released him. Police also found and confiscated “illegal vapes,” the report said.
Chamblee police told local news outlets that they responded to a company called Tint World on Friday when a traffic camera alerted them that the Cybertruck was present and related to an outstanding warrant.
Akon is currently on tour in India. He spoke in Delhi on Sunday, two days after his arrest.
