Rick Ross Targeted in Alleged Drive-By Shooting, Rolls Royce Crashes into Florida Apartment

USMagazine, Monday, January 28, 2013, 12:20pm (PST)

Rick Ross and his female friend were uninjured in a car crash that took place around 5 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 28 in Fort Lauderdale, Fl. -- but the rapper's Rolls Royce is another story.

Ross, 37, was identified as one of two passengers in the vehicle when it slammed into an apartment building early Monday morning, presumably to avoid gunshots that were being fired at the Florida rapper.

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An eyewitness tells NBC6-Miami that someone in another car fired as many as 20 shots at Ross' silver Rolls Royce, and Beth Balk, a waitress at the nearby Floridian Restaurant, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that she was startled awake when the car crashed into her building.

When shown a photo of the "Hustlin'" rapper, Balk positively identified him as the man in the car.

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"Yes, that's definitely the guy," she reportedly told authorities. His passenger was 28-year-old Shateria L. Moragne-el -- both parties previously asked police not to release their names out of concern for their safety.

"The occupants of the vehicle have asked for their information to be withheld from being released," Fort Lauderdale Police spokeswoman Det. DeAnna Garcia told NBC6-Miami. "They obviously, with everything that just took place, are fearful for their lives and their families lives."

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The apparent drive-by shooting attempt comes after Ross was threatened by local gang the Black Disciples, who are reportedly upset over Ross' reference to gang leader Larry Hoover in his track "B.M.F. (Blowin' Money Fast)." Ross cancelled two North Carolina show dates last December and later pulled the plug on the rest of his tour after he received similar death threats from the gang.

Authorities are currently still searching for the gunman or gunmen, who fled the scene.

This article originally appeared on Usmagazine.com: Rick Ross Targeted in Alleged Drive-By Shooting, Rolls Royce Crashes into Florida Apartment