Bow Wow and Kiyomi Leslie were both arrested on battery charges in Atlanta on February 2, 2019, after a fight at the rapper’s Midtown condominium during Super Bowl weekend. Police said they could not determine who started the altercation, so officers charged both. Months later, Leslie publicly accused Bow Wow, whose legal name is Shad Moss, of a pattern of abuse, including violence during a pregnancy she said ended in miscarriage. The available reporting does not show a final court resolution for either person.
What Happened the Night of the Arrest
The fight took place early Saturday morning at Bow Wow’s apartment in the 200 block of 12th Street.1Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Bow Wow Fight With Girlfriend Stemmed From Argument After Party Both told officers the argument began over Leslie’s interaction with another man at a party earlier that night. Bow Wow said Leslie had been “all over” the other man; Leslie described it as a conversation.2Oxygen. Elevator Surveillance Video Shows Rapper Bow Wow and Girlfriend Leslie Holden Arguing Hours Before Arrests
What happened back at the apartment is disputed. In a 911 call, Leslie said Bow Wow hit her “numerous times,” took her phone, and that he and his friends trapped her in a bedroom. She told the dispatcher he said “no one’s going to believe you,” and she later said she suffered three broken ribs. A separate 911 call from the building manager captured a male voice threatening to slap her.3Global News. Bow Wow’s Girlfriend 911 Call2Oxygen. Elevator Surveillance Video Shows Rapper Bow Wow and Girlfriend Leslie Holden Arguing Hours Before Arrests
Bow Wow’s attorney, Joe Habachy, gave a different account. He said Leslie was intoxicated and became the aggressor, beating Bow Wow with a lamp, biting him on his side, and spitting on him, while Bow Wow “continually made efforts to avoid her” and did not fight back. Habachy said two independent witnesses corroborated that version.4People. Bow Wow Claims Wrongfully Arrested Assaulting Ex-Girlfriend
Why Both Were Charged
When Atlanta police arrived, they interviewed both and concluded they were “unable to determine the primary aggressor of the altercation.”5People. Bow Wow Surveillance Footage Elevator Leslie Holden Arrest Report Bow Wow was charged with battery causing substantial physical harm; Leslie was charged with the lesser offense of battery.2Oxygen. Elevator Surveillance Video Shows Rapper Bow Wow and Girlfriend Leslie Holden Arguing Hours Before Arrests Both were booked into the Fulton County Jail and released later that day on $8,000 signature bonds.6Vibe. Bow Wow Ex Kiyomi Leslie Arrested Domestic Battery
A police spokesperson said “both parties did sustain visible minor injuries.” Officers noted redness on Leslie’s lower back and fingers along with broken fingernails; Bow Wow’s mugshot showed scratches on his face, and his legal team reported bite marks.5People. Bow Wow Surveillance Footage Elevator Leslie Holden Arrest Report2Oxygen. Elevator Surveillance Video Shows Rapper Bow Wow and Girlfriend Leslie Holden Arguing Hours Before Arrests
Georgia law tells officers what to do in exactly this situation. When both parties complain or both show injuries, officers must evaluate each complaint separately and identify a “predominant aggressor,” meaning the person who “poses the most serious, ongoing threat.” Officers weigh the relative severity of injuries, whether wounds look offensive or defensive, any prior family violence complaints, and whether either party acted in self-defense. Once a predominant aggressor is identified, the statute does not require arresting anyone else.7WomensLaw.org. Georgia Statutes 17-4-201 Investigation and Arrests Incidents of Family Violence In this case, Atlanta officers did not designate one and took both into custody.
The Elevator Video and Dueling Statements
About a week after the arrests, TMZ published silent surveillance footage from an elevator inside the condominium complex. It showed Bow Wow and Leslie in an intense argument hours before the fight, with Bow Wow forcefully taking an item from her hand and getting into her face.2Oxygen. Elevator Surveillance Video Shows Rapper Bow Wow and Girlfriend Leslie Holden Arguing Hours Before Arrests The Atlanta Police Department declined to comment on the footage.5People. Bow Wow Surveillance Footage Elevator Leslie Holden Arrest Report
Leslie’s attorney, Daniel R. Meachum, said the video and 911 audio would “confirm and corroborate that our client has been a long term victim of physical, verbal, and emotional abuse at the hands of Shad Moss.”2Oxygen. Elevator Surveillance Video Shows Rapper Bow Wow and Girlfriend Leslie Holden Arguing Hours Before Arrests Habachy said Bow Wow had been “wrongfully arrested,” said he expected the charges to be dismissed, and said he looked forward to “assisting the Fulton County Solicitor General’s Office in prosecuting Ms. Holden.”4People. Bow Wow Claims Wrongfully Arrested Assaulting Ex-Girlfriend
Later Allegations
Around June 29, 2019, Leslie posted a far more serious accusation on Twitter. She said Bow Wow had beaten her while she was pregnant, writing: “He beat me while I was pregnant. Punched me in my stomach & all… lost my baby and still covered for the weak ass nigga.”8XXL Magazine. Bow Wow Assault Ex-Girlfriend Pregnant She also said Bow Wow’s mother, Teresa Caldwell, knew about the abuse and helped cover it up, and that police had been called to the home more than once.9Revolt. Bow Wow’s Ex-Girlfriend Kiyomi Leslie Claims She Allegedly Suffered a Miscarriage Due to Rapper’s Abuse The posts came as the WE tv series Growing Up Hip Hop: Atlanta featured the February incident in its third season. Bow Wow did not publicly respond to the miscarriage allegation, and XXL reported it received no reply when it sought comment.
Bow Wow’s ex-fiancée Erica Mena publicly backed Leslie on June 30, 2019, writing “Trust. BELIEVE HER!” and alleging that Bow Wow “broke Ciara finger years ago, so this been going on,” a reference to singer Ciara, who dated Bow Wow in the mid-2000s.10Revolt. Bow Wow’s Ex-Fiancée Erica Mena Cosigns Kiyomi Leslie’s Alleged Abuse Story8XXL Magazine. Bow Wow Assault Ex-Girlfriend Pregnant Mena had made similar claims in January 2016, calling Bow Wow “verbally and physically abusive” and “an abuser” in a series of tweets.11Global Grind. Erica Mena Bow Wow Abuse Bow Wow’s team did not comment on either set of allegations. Neither Ciara nor anyone representing her publicly addressed Mena’s broken-finger claim, and no reporting in the available record corroborates or refutes it.
Where the Case Stands
The available reporting does not document a trial, plea, conviction, or formal dismissal for either Bow Wow or Leslie. The last public positions on record are Habachy’s expectation that the charges against Bow Wow would be dismissed and Meachum’s statement that Leslie was a long-term abuse victim. Nothing in the record confirms how the Fulton County Solicitor General’s Office ultimately resolved either charge.