A$AP Rocky Assault Trial Underway in Downtown L.A.

A$AP Rocky's felony assault trial got underway Friday morning ... days after the Grammy-nominated rapper rejected a plea deal -- and we're live streaming the whole thing. Rocky faces a potential 24-year prison sentence if he's found guilty.

Rocky's attorney Joe Tacopina and prosecutor Paul Bradley started the morning off addressing the judge in the downtown L.A. courtroom before the jury was seated.

The two sides were arguing over evidence related to bullet casings -- and, Judge Mark S. Arnold decided the defense is free to consult a firearms expert on the court's dime ... but, no evidence was excluded. The judge ruled nothing the two attorneys argued about is allowed to be mentioned in their opening statements, and the jury was then brought in.

Prosecutors addressed the jury first ... telling them that while the case may appear complicated on the outside, it's actually rather simple -- and, the prosecutor is pointing to videos allegedly showing Rocky allegedly threatening A$AP Relli.

Rihanna was brought up by prosecutors in the first few minutes of their opening statement ... with prosecutors sharing a picture of Rocky and RiRi together at an event. As we told you, she was also mentioned during jury selection.

The video -- allegedly showing A$AP Rocky allegedly beating up A$AP Relli -- was played in court too ... paused multiple times while the prosecutors named each person in the clip for the jury.

They then showed another clip which prosecutors claim shows Rocky shooting at Relli twice ... running around in the street and attempting to aim around a fellow associate. Worth noting, prosecutors released all these videos in late 2023.

Tacopina gave his statement as well ... claiming the whole case against A$AP Rocky is about A$AP Relli's jealousy -- explaining he plans to attack Relli's credibility in the impending trial.

He adds that while Rocky has worked hard and turned into a self-made success, Relli only pretends to live a lavish lifestyle ... and, the jury should consider the differences in their personalities.

Rocky's success bred resentment in Relli, Tacopina claims ... and, after Relli thought Rocky hadn't covered the expenses for a friend's funeral, that resentment led to the eventual alleged violence.

A$AP Rocky -- legal name Rakim Mayers -- is accused of firing a gun at a former associate outside a hotel in Hollywood in 2021. He was charged in 2022 with two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm.

As we told you ... Terell Ephron -- AKA A$AP Relli, part of the A$AP Mob -- claims Rocky threatened to kill him before the rapper allegedly pulled the trigger the night of the incident. Relli was treated at the time for a minor injury to his hand.

Prosecutors say Relli never feared for his life ... even when Rocky allegedly pulled a gun on him. But, his view of the alleged confrontation with the rapper changed when he noticed another member of the A$AP collective, A$AP 12vvy, allegedly put away a pocketknife.

Jurors will hear about two other A$AP members in this trial, prosecutors say -- A$AP Illz and A$AP Bari -- who were allegedly there on the night in question.

Prosecutors shared pictures of the 9-mm magazine they allegedly found during their search, though they admit they didn't find a weapon. Tacopina says the weapon was a prop gun -- a starter pistol -- Rocky used for show.

In fact, Tacopina says even though Rocky was licensed to carry a real gun, he chose not to for safety reasons ... and, the reason Relli wasn't afraid of being shot is because A$AP Relli knew it was a fake weapon meant to scare off potential attackers.

Tacopina claims cops couldn't find any shell casings at the scene of the alleged shooting ... but, Relli said he did an hour after when he returned to the scene -- all in an effort to extort Rocky.

The two sides exchanged verbal barbs at one another during the proceedings as well ... because, after the media was excused, we're told one of the prosecutors and an attorney for the defense exchanged some words.

In the plea deal Rocky rejected Tuesday, prosecutors offered him 180 days in jail, a seven-year suspended sentence, and three years on probation, in exchange for a guilty plea to one of the charges.

Tacopina told TMZ ... aside from the proposed plea bargain being a career-ender for his client, "He is not taking ANY PLEA, because he has always maintained his innocence."

Rocky pled not guilty to the charges in 2022 and was released on bond. Police had raided Rocky's home in 2022 shortly after he got back from a trip to Barbados with Rihanna, the mother of his 2 sons.