The Dallas Police Department found a tiger cub at the home of Oak Cliff rapper Trapboy Freddy while executing an arrest warrant on Wednesday.
Officers were dispatched on August 17 to the 2700 block of Meadow Gate Lane to assist U.S. Marshals serving a federal arrest warrant on the 30-year-old rapper, whose legal name is Devarius Dontez Moore.
Erin Dooley, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney’s office for the Northern District of Texas, told The Dallas Morning News that the warrant was in connection to a charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
While serving the warrant, law enforcement allegedly found a tiger cub at the rapper’s home and called Dallas Animal Services, who took the animal into protective custody and relocated it to an “undisclosed location.”
Moore had apparently not been too discreet about the cub being on his property. He reportedly posted about the tiger to his public Instagram account back in June.
It is unclear whether the rapper was permitted to own or possess the animal. Neither is it known whether he faces any charges for being in possession of the animal.
Per Texas law, owning or having custody of dangerous wild animals such as lions, tigers, or bears requires a certificate or permit of registration from the city or county animal control department. The documents must be renewed annually.
In addition to a permit, the animal’s owner must also have liability insurance coverage of at least $100,000. If the animal escapes or attacks a human, the owner must immediately notify the animal control department or the sheriff.
Failure to register a wild animal is a Class C misdemeanor, and if Moore is found to have failed to meet the standards required to own the animal, the State of Texas could demand a fine of up to $500 every day he had the tiger cub in his possession.
The City of Dallas or Dallas County could also sue him and recover a civil penalty of between $200 and $2,000 for every day he had the animal without the proper permit.
Moore’s arrest follows his past brushes with law enforcement. In 2018, the rapper complained that Dallas police officers used excessive force when they tried to arrest him. Before that arrest, Moore had been smoking at a grocery store entrance, a city ordinance violation.
Other prior charges against Moore in Dallas County include evading arrest, assault, and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
Court records showed that the rapper pleaded guilty to gun and drug possession charges in Dallas County. He also has pending gun offense charges and marijuana possession charges in Kaufman County.
