Phillips said he saw Mayers with a starter pistol on three prior occasions.
The first time was during the video shoot for Mayers song D.M.B., he testified.
The video,which heavily features Rihanna, was shot in the Bronx in July 2021.
A$AP Rocky arrives to court on February 4, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.MEGA/GC Images
ASAP, which featured Phillips and other members of their collective.
According to Phillips, he spotted Ephron walking down the hill from Hollywood Blvd.
and approaching them with a little extra momentum.
As soon as he seen him, he just grabbed him, Phillips testified.
He said Ephron was shaking Mayers and trying to lift him off the ground by his hoodie.
He claimed Ephron followed them around the corner, taunting them.
He said the outburst left him feeling confused and threatened.
He said as Ulanger was trying to calm Ephron down, Ephron punched Ulanger two times.
In yet another dramatic moment, Tacopina walked Philips through the blurry surveillance video of the alleged shooting.
The one-second delay could prove pivotal.
In his testimony, Ephron said he grabbed Ulanger to use him as a human shield.
In the defense version shown Friday, the first shot comes after Ephrons figure collides with Ulanger.
Mayers, 36, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm.
The first count involves the initial clash across the street from the W Hotel.
The second count is for the alleged shooting.
Another defense witness is expected to testify that he also knew Mayers carried a starter pistol as a deterrent.
If convicted as charged, Mayers is facing a maximum possible sentence of 24 years.
Prosecutors previously told the court they would recommend 10 to 12 years.
(Phillips denied Friday that he had a knife.)
Im just verbally expressing my feelings.
I just had a gun pulled on me, Ephron testified.
Im feeling a lot of different things, but at the moment, I was just mad.
Police were called to the scene by a 911 caller who watched the incident from a apartment balcony.
Ephron says he returned later that night and immediately recovered two 9mm Luger spent cartridges.
He personally collected the casings and held on to them for two days before handing them over to police.
He said hed forgotten he was in the area for a business meeting that week.
The revelation could help bolster the defense claim that Ephron fabricated the evidence.
Under questioning by deputy district attorney Paul Przelomiec, Ephron told jurors he didnt plant anything.
He only found two, he testified.
I never planted nothing, he said on the witness stand.
