Rapper iHeartMemphis, whose real name is Richard Maurice Colbert, was forcibly removed from his Florida residence in February after a tense standoff with law enforcement that involved multiple rounds of tear gas.
According to police reports, the Davie and Plantation Police Departments' combined SWAT team responded to Colbert's home on February 9th after he allegedly made threats. The situation escalated into an hours-long confrontation that continued into the following day.
Officers reported that after approximately an hour of issuing commands outside the home, they received no response from Colbert. Police say they knew he could hear them because he was live-streaming the encounter on Instagram, where he was reportedly mocking their efforts.
When verbal commands failed, authorities deployed their BearCat armored vehicle. Police broke a window to gain access and sent the vehicle in to release 40mm CS gas—commonly known as tear gas—into Colbert's bedroom, where he was last seen.
Despite four rounds of tear gas being deployed into the bedroom, Colbert reportedly refused to exit. The Plantation Police Department then requested additional backup before SWAT released two more rounds of tear gas and one round of 40mm OC gas, a pepper-based irritant, into the home.
The dramatic incident was partially captured in Colbert's Instagram live stream, showing multiple law enforcement vehicles surrounding the property as the standoff unfolded.