Paris police release rapper Lil Baby, hand him drug fine

Paris police released rapper Lil Baby from custody on Friday after fining him for having cannabis in his car, according to the city prosecutor's office. He was stopped along with NBA star James Harden, who was frisked but not detained.

Lil Baby's arrest on Thursday along one of the French capital's most upscale avenues shocked fans of both high-profile Americans, in town for Paris Fashion Week.

Plainclothes police stopped Harden, Lil Baby and his bodyguard because a strong smell of cannabis was coming from their car, according to a French police officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to be publicly named.

The official said that Lil Baby, whose real name is Dominique Jones, initially refused to allow police to check the car. The situation was tense because the Americans didn't understand what was happening. Uniformed officers then arrived and proceeded to search the car, finding 32 grams of cannabis, according to the official.

Lil Baby and the bodyguard were taken into custody on suspicion of transporting drugs, and released Friday morning after being handed fines, according to the prosecutor's office.

After his release, the rapper posted on Instagram "I'm Good" and said that was heading back to the U.S.

Video of the incident shared online shows a plainclothes officer frisking a confused-looking Harden while he holds his phone.

A representative for Lil Baby did not respond to requests for comment.

Harden posted photos online soon before the arrest of the two friends at various Paris locales.