Rihanna’s boyfriend and father of her unborn child, A$AP Rocky, has been arrested in dramatic scenes at Los Angeles airport.

A$AP, 33, and Rihanna, 34, had just arrived from her native Barbados when the rapper was handcuffed after they landed.

The rapper, real name Rakim Mayers, was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement on Wednesday morning (local time).

According to NBC News, the rapper had been under investigation for a November 2021 shooting for some time.

Tweet from @LAPDHQ

The victim of the Hollywood shooting told police that A$AP was walking with two others when he approached him with a handgun. The man claims that A$AP shot at him three or four times, and has told police a bullet grazed his left hand.

The Los Angeles police also searched a home belonging to A$AP in connection with the case.

Booking records show the rapper has since been released on a $US550,000 bond ($739,000).

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky announced they were expecting their first child in February 2022.

Yet more drama

The arrest comes after a drama-filled week for the couple, who are expecting their first child in just weeks.

Earlier this week, a Twitter user accused A$AP of cheating on the heavily-pregnant pop star with Amina Muaddi, a shoe designer who has worked with the pop star’s Fenty label in the past.

The rumours set the Twittersphere alight, users sharing their outrage at the claims.

While neither Rihanna nor A$AP have commented publicly on the rumours, Muaddi released a statement on Instagram, dismissing the buzz as “fake gossip”.

The Twitter user has since apologised for their “dumb decision to tweet some information I received”.

Déjà-vu

This isn’t the first time A$AP has been linked to an alleged assault.

He was detained for nearly a month in Stockholm in 2019 following a street brawl between his entourage and two other men.

Then-US president Donald Trump demanded his release, warning Sweden of “negative consequences” otherwise. Kim Kardashian and Rod Stewart were among others to call for A$AP’s release.

The rapper, who claimed he was acting in self-defence, was found guilty of assault.

The judge determined the incident did not warrant further jail time. He was instead ordered to pay 12,500 Swedish krona in damages (roughly $1700), along with covering legal fees.

• Related: The bizarre origin of A$AP Rocky’s thrifted Met Gala outfit