Singer Akon was arrested in metro Atlanta last week after police spotted his Tesla truck and linked it to an active warrant, according to the Chamblee Police Department.
The 52-year-old Senegalese American, whose real name is Aliaune Badara Thiam, was taken into custody and booked into the DeKalb County Jail just after 12:30 p.m., jail records show. He was released about six hours later.
According to an incident report, Chamblee police responded around 11 a.m. to a Flock camera alert for a white 2024 Tesla Cybertruck wanted by the Roswell Police Department. Officers found the vehicle parked at Tint World on Chamblee Dunwoody Road and saw a man standing nearby who matched the registered owner’s description.
The officer confirmed the man’s identity as Thiam through his driver’s license photo and told him there was an active warrant for his arrest. Police said Akon remained calm and told officers he was aware of the warrant.
He was placed in handcuffs, patted down for weapons, and detained while officers confirmed the warrant with Roswell police. Once confirmed, Thiam was officially placed under arrest. Officers said no weapons or contraband were found during a search.
The incident report states that Akon’s vehicle was parked at Tint World for service and that it was not impounded. Officers took him to the DeKalb County Jail and later transported him to the Smyrna City Jail, where he was booked on a failure to appear charge for a suspended license.
Details from the Roswell Police Department show that the November arrest stemmed from a run-in with law enforcement on Sept. 10. Officers found Thiam stranded around noon that day in a Tesla Cybertruck on Holcomb Bridge Road after the vehicle’s battery had died. A check of the vehicle’s registration initially showed no valid insurance, and Thiam was operating the truck on a suspended driver’s license dating back to January 2023.
Thiam was issued a citation for driving with a suspended license and released. Before the Cybertruck could be impounded, police seized an illegal vape found in the center console.
Akon is a Grammy-nominated singer best known for early 2000s hits such as “Locked Up,” “Smack That,” “Soul Survivor,” and “Lonely,” as well as his philanthropic work and music ventures in Africa.
This is not the first time the artist has faced legal trouble. In 1998, Akon was jailed for several months on car theft charges that were later dropped. Nearly a decade later, in 2008, he pleaded guilty to second-degree harassment after tossing a teenager off a stage during a concert in New York. He received community service and a fine.
Akon is currently on a tour in India. He performed in Delhi on Nov. 9 and is scheduled to hit the stage in Bengaluru on Nov. 14 and in Mumbai on Nov. 16. Following the India tour, he has a performance planned in Las Vegas on January 3, 2026.