“I don’t care who your daddy is, I’ll kill you right here.” According to Daytona Beach police, those were the words a 20-year-old man yelled at Rick Ross’ son before allegedly pistol-whipping him outside Bethune-Cookman University.
The Daytona Beach Police Department says the attack happened on Oct. 11 near the college campus. The victim is identified in documents as William Roberts III, the son of the Maybach Music Group boss.
The man arrested is Don Roberts III, and yes, the names look almost identical. Police documents make clear the two are different people with no stated connection beyond a very confusing coincidence.
Here’s how officers describe it. William Roberts III was standing outside with a woman when Don Roberts III pulled up in a vehicle, got out, and shouted the threat before striking him with a gun, according to DBPD.
The victim’s version of what sparked it adds a more personal layer. He told police he believed the confrontation was about Don Roberts III having previously been in a romantic relationship with the woman he was standing with, the arrest affidavit says.
That means the line about “your daddy” may say more about the attacker’s state of mind than about the motive.
If the victim’s account holds up, Ross’ fame wasn’t the reason for the fight, just something the suspect apparently knew and decided to throw in his face.
Don Roberts III is charged with aggravated assault and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon without the intent to kill. Those charges reflect the police account so far, and he hasn’t had his side aired in court yet.
For anyone who only knows the name from the music, Rick Ross was born William Leonard Roberts II. That’s why his son carries the “III,” and why the suspect’s similar name caused a double take when the police report started circulating.
Ross is one of the most recognizable figures in Southern rap, a Florida native who built Maybach Music Group into a label that shaped a whole era of the genre.
His family life tends to stay a little more out of the headlines than his music and his famously lavish persona.
Bethune-Cookman, the HBCU where this unfolded, sits right in the middle of Daytona Beach. An alleged pistol-whipping on the edge of a college campus is the kind of incident that worries students and parents no matter whose kid is involved.
The police account doesn’t include any response from Ross or his team, and there’s no update yet on how the case will move forward.
With charges filed and the affidavit now public, the next chapter will play out in a Volusia County courtroom.
