Singer and producer Akon was briefly detained in Georgia, USA, after being arrested on an outstanding warrant, according to local authorities.
The 52-year-old artist whose real name is Aliaune Thiam was taken into custody by Chamblee Police on the morning of November 7 on a warrant reportedly issued out of Roswell.
DeKalb County jail records show Akon was booked and held for several hours before being released later that day.
A mugshot shared by TMZ shows the singer wearing a black hoodie, appearing mostly expressionless during the booking process.
The arrest stemmed from a warrant issued two months ago after police discovered Akon was driving with a suspended license, according to court records obtained by The Independent.
In September, the Roswell Police Department reported finding Akon stranded on the side of the road in his Tesla Cybertruck due to a dead battery.
During that encounter, officers discovered his license had been suspended for failing to appear in court in January 2023.
Police issued a citation, confiscated the suspended license, and also seized an illegal vape from the entertainer at the time.
The bench warrant led to his arrest on November 7, though neither Akon nor his representatives have publicly commented on the incident.
Akon, a five-time Grammy nominee, rose to prominence in the 2000s with hits including Lonely, I Wanna Love You, and Smack That.
He has collaborated with major artists such as Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Gwen Stefani, and David Guetta, and has remained a prominent figure in the music industry since his 2004 single Locked Up.
Outside of music, Akon has been developing his futuristic project, Akon City, in Senegal, which incorporates his own cryptocurrency, Akoin, to power the city’s economy.
The singer’s brief arrest highlights ongoing legal issues tied to past driving violations, though his career and entrepreneurial ventures continue to attract attention worldwide.
