Florida Rapper SpotemGottem Arrested After Trying to Ditch Cops on Jet Ski

Florida rapper SpotemGottem was arrested this past Sunday, June 26, for allegedly trying to flee from a cop on a jet ski in Miami.

The 20-year-old MC from Jacksonville, Florida — real name Nehemiah Harden — was charged with reckless operation of a boat and fleeing police, according to an arrest report obtained by IndieLand. At the time of his arrest, he was out on bond for a case involving charges of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Representatives for Harden did not immediately return IndieLand’s requests for comment.

According to the arrest report, an officer spotted Harden near Miami Marine Stadium, allegedly speeding on his jet ski in a restricted speed zone and doing “S-type turns near anchored boats.” The officer claimed they turned on their emergency equipment, got Harden’s attention, and tried to call him over to conduct a traffic stop. Harden then allegedly “accelerated” and “began to swerve through boats in close proximity to swimmers and anchored boats.” 

The report claims that Harden “willfully refused to stop and continued to flee,” though he was eventually apprehended. The report states Harden “had a willful and wanton disregard for the safety of persons and property (boats) at a speed or in a manner as to endanger himself and others.” 

Last summer, Harden was arrested in a hotel room by U.S. Federal Marshals for his alleged role in a June assault case involving a deadly weapon. Police said Harden and others confronted a garage attendant over an $80 fee, and that Harden allegedly pointed a gun with a laser at the employee from the backseat. This incident prompted the aforementioned aggravated assault and firearm possession charges, to which Harden has pleaded not guilty. 

Two months after his arrest last year, Harden was shot in his hip while driving on a Miami highway. Harden was reportedly driving when the car was hit with gunfire, leaving 22 bullet holes on the driver’s side. Another man, sitting in the backseat of the car, sustained gunshot wounds to both legs.