Los Angeles police have arrested five suspects in the killing of rap musician Pop Smoke, who was shot dead during a break-in and robbery of a Hollywood Hills home where he was staying at the time.
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The five - three adult men and two juvenile males - were taken into custody without incident in a series of early-morning raids across Los Angeles on Thursday, according to an LAPD spokeswoman, officer Norma Eisenman.
Investigators linked the February 19 robbery and killing of the rapper to a Los Angeles street gang also implicated in the murder of an 18-year-old woman five months earlier in a Pasadena car park, police said.
Police did not say whether the two killings were otherwise connected.
Pop Smoke, 20, whose real name was Bashar Barakah Jackson, was found by police shot inside a multimillion-dollar house he was renting during a visit to Los Angeles. He died hours later at a hospital.
Police at the time said they were responding to a reported pre-dawn break-in at the house, where eyewitnesses said they saw two to six suspects, at least one wearing a mask.
The police statement identified the three men arrested as Corey Walker, 19, Jaquan Murphy, 21, and Keandre Rodgers, 18.
Walker and Rodgers were booked on suspicion of murder, Murphy on suspicion of attempted murder. Bond was set at $US1 million for each. The two juveniles arrested were not identified.
The rapper, a New York City native, was perhaps best known during his brief career for the July 2019 single Welcome to the Party, which many considered last year's song of the summer.
A remix released months later featured rapper Nicki Minaj.
Australian Associated Press
