Tekashi 6ix9ine is "happy to be here still" after he was violently attacked inside the bathroom of a Florida gym.
The "TROLLZ" rapper, 26, uploaded a video of the March 21 incident to Instagram on Friday, as he broke his silence for the "first time addressing the situation."
"What happen[ed] here was nothing but cowardly. I'm not mad this happened," 6ix9ine, real name Daniel Hernandez, wrote in a caption. "In the street, there's no rules, so I can't say they were wrong. Obviously, it wasn't fair, but again the streets has no rules. Just imagine having nothing to do to with a situation and feel obligated to make it your business. (Very weird) I'm happy to be here still. And I want to say I love my fans. Thank you."
In the video posted by Hernandez, three men surround the musician as he's crouched on a bathroom floor — each taking turns kicking and punching him while another person films. The clip aligns with early reports from his attorney Lance Lazzaro, who previously told Variety that the attack on Hernandez happened in and outside an LA Fitness sauna while he tried to fight back against the men accused of being involved.
Since the video was filmed, three suspects have been arrested in connection with the incident — Rafael Medina Jr., 43, Octavious Medina, 23, and Anthony Maldonado, 25, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office previously shared.
Police records showed all three men were being held at the Palm Beach County Jail and were expected to attend their first hearing in the near future.
According to clerks office records, Octavious and Rafael Medina are expected to return to court for a "30 day return" on May 1. It was not clear whether Rafael Medina, Octavious Medina and Anthony Maldonado have legal representation.
"For two years, I been walking around with no security. Not saying I promote that, BUT now you see I really never hid from anything," Hernandez also shared in his post. "If you ever crossed my path or ever came to my house (you girls know who you are) ya can tell the world 'Danny drives his own cars and be solo.' You know how many of you people seen me in real life by myself in gas stations, supermarkets, restaurants, etc."
"P.S : I never knew we respected jumping people. When did that ever become a W???"
In a new music video for his song "Bori" feat. Lenier, 6ix9ine displayed some of the injuries he sustained during the incident, including a bloodied eye and bruised face. Additional clips from his time in the hospital are featured in the music video, showing doctors attending to him as he sits in a hospital bed.
"He had cuts to his face and bruises," Lazzaro previously told Variety, adding that the group of men believed responsible for the attack fled the scene after gym employees caught on to the disturbance. Police were then called and Hernandez was taken to the local hospital in an ambulance, Lazzaro added.
The attack comes four years after Hernandez pleaded guilty to nine felony charges, including a variety of firearm offenses, and admitted his involvement with the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods in January 2019, reported the New York Post.
At the time, he was sentenced to two years but was released from federal prison in April 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns, Variety reported. His attorney for the case, Dawn Florio, told PEOPLE in March 2020 he was "the perfect model prisoner since his incarceration."
