Eric Holder Arrested: Nipsey Hussle Suspect Captured in Bellflower

Eric Holder, the 29-year-old accused shooter of rapper Nipsey Hussle, was taken into custody in the Bellflower area on the afternoon of April 2 by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, according to the LAPD.

The Los Angeles Police Department responded to the scene and confirmed that the man in custody is Holder, the alleged Crips gang member police think took the life of the beloved, community-minded Hussle, who was gunned down outside his clothing store in what authorities say was a personal dispute with Holder. A witness told Fox Los Angeles that Holder surrendered after first trying to flee. Video showed Holder being transferred to LAPD custody. Holder is being held without bail.

The LAPD tweeted, “Eric Holder, the suspected killer of Nipsey Hussle, has been arrested and is in police custody. Thank you to both our community for the heightened awareness/vigilance, and our partners at @LASDHQ.”

A video posted on social media claims to show the moment the man believed to be Holder was arrested:

According to TMZ, the man was arrested in the LA suburb of Bellflower about 12:50 p.m. local time in the 9000 block of Artesia Boulevard. The gossip website also cited a source saying the LAPD is responding to the scene to “make a positive ID.”

TMZ also posted a video from the scene of the arrest:

Here’s dispatch audio from the arrest.

The Los Angeles Times reported the man in custody matches Holder’s description and that authorities are trying to verify his identity. The newspaper also reported that the alleged female getaway driver of Holder has turned herself in. Her name was not yet released. She told TMZ she didn’t know that Holder had been involved in the shooting when she picked him up.

The unidentified woman told the gossip website, “she was with him Sunday when they drove to Nipsey’s clothing store near the Crenshaw District of L.A. She claims she was waiting for him in the alley when he went over to the clothing store. She also claims she didn’t know why he was going there and he didn’t say anything when he came back to the car.”

Holder was booked into the Los Angeles County Jail.

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Earlier in the day the police chief implored Holder to turn himself in.

“I ask him (Holder) to surrender,” implored the police chief at an earlier news conference. “…Stop this from continuing.” The exact circumstances of how Holder may have been found are not clear.

Here’s what you need to know:

Eric Holder Uses the Street Names of Shitty Cuz & Fly Mac, Reports Say

Eric Holder is a wannabe rapper with a Soundcloud account and now-deleted YouTube videos. That stands in contrast to Nipsey Hussey, who recorded with some of rap’s biggest names.

People on social media identified the suspect earlier April 1 as a man who goes by the street names “Shitty Cuz,” and “Fly Mac,” and photos of Eric Holder, a wannabe rapper, match the man known by those nicknames, including his neck tattoo. You can see photos and videos from his Instagram and Facebook pages throughout this article. In 2018, a blog called him “up and coming West-Coast underground Hip Hop artist Fly Mac.”

A now-deleted YouTube video of Holder’s once read, “First single of the hot up and coming rapper Fly Mac, westcoast based rapper has been at it for a couple years now and is ready for his big break.” However, he doesn’t appear to have had much of a following, on social media or otherwise.

Authorities Say They Believe He’s the Shooter With a ‘Degree of Certainty’

Eric Holder AKA Shitty Cuz

Authorities first released Holder’s name as the accused shooter on social media on the evening of April 1, and they followed that up by giving his name out at a press conference attended by the mayor.

“We are currently working with the District Attorney’s office…to obtain a warrant for his (Holder’s) arrest. But we believe with probable cause and a degree of certainty on Sunday…” that Holder is the assailant, the police chief, Michel Moore, said in a press conference. “Nipsey with two other males were standing in front of his store. Mr. Holder walked up on multiple occasions and engaged in a conversation with Nipsey and the others that were there. He left and then came back and subsequently came back armed with a handgun and purposely and repeatedly fired.”

Holder was identified through video evidence and statements from the community, the chief said. “The community is helping us solve this case.” As for motive? “We believe this to be a dispute between Mr. Hussle and Mr. Holder… it appears to be a personal matter between the two of them. I will leave it at that,” said Moore.

Holder entered the passenger side of a Chevy Cruze vehicle, said the chief. It was located in an alley adjacent to the mini mall where Hussle was gunned down. The woman who was driving is still unidentified, he said. “Armed with a handgun…this expression of violence represents that this is a man who is a substantial risk to public safety,” said the chief. In urging the gunman to turn himself in, Moore indicated that he was confident that Holder was watching the televised press conference.

Hussle, the 33-year-old musician and entrepreneur, was fatally shot outside of his clothing store in Los Angeles, sparking days of vigils from his community. Two others were wounded in the shooting Sunday, March 31, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

LAPD wrote late on the evening of April 1: “Eric Holder is wanted for Homicide in the shooting of Nipsey Hussle. He was last seen in a 2016 white 4 door Chevy Cruze CA license plate 7RJD742. Anyone with information related to his whereabouts or this deadly shooting is urged to contact South Bureau Homicide at 323-786-5100.” The mayor also gave out Holder’s name at a press conference on April 2.

“This has been a tough few days for Los Angeles,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti. “We learned that another young life was cut short by a gun in our city…Nipsey Hussle…was someone who was a gifted and brilliant artist. An entrepreneur who found global success. He was working closely with this city. He was a tireless advocate for the young people of this city and this world. His impact on our city was deep.”

He added: “The hard working men at the Los Angeles Police Department have identified the person believed to be responsible for this devastating crime.” He said there had been an uptick in shootings in the area and urged people not to respond to their grief with more violence.

A police press release, released around 10:30 p.m. local time on April 1, read, “Detectives have worked tirelessly and are now asking for the public’s help in locating the suspect in this case. The suspect has been identified as 29-year-old Eric Holder of Los Angeles.”

Police Sources Said the Suspect – Whose Social Media Shows Him With a Crips Tattoo – Was Someone Nipsey Hussle Knew

Eric Holder

Two to three weeks ago, LAPD saw an increase in gang and shooting violence, particularly impacting African-American men, the police chief said in a news conference. “This is a voice that was trying to help,” said the chief, Michel Moore, about Nipsey Hussle.

Police have investigated this case “relentlessly” to identify Holder as the suspect, said the chief.

If Hussle was trying to better his community, the opposite might be said about Eric Holder, whom police allege is a member of a street gang.

Some sources have alleged that Holder is a member of the Crips street gang. Hussle has long been associated with the Rollin 60s Neighborhood Crips, one of Los Angeles’ largest street gangs.

Facebook posts on a page under Holder’s rap name Fly Mac shows him with a Crips tattoo. “Bro stay fly crippin,” a woman wrote under one photo from 2016.

“We believe Mr. Holder is a member of a street gang,” the police chief confirmed, but he added that authorities did not believe the shooting was the result of gang rivalries. He would not name the gang.

Police wrote previously that detectives from LAPD’s South Bureau Homicide Division were seeking the public’s help in locating the suspect “involved in a multiple victim shooting which resulted in a homicide.” Police said that the shooting unfolded when, around 3:20 p.m. on March 31, 2019, three male adults were standing in front of a business in a strip mall in the 3400 block of West Slauson Blvd. The suspect walked up to the men and fired numerous shots at them, wrote police. “The victims were struck and fell to the ground.”

The suspect “ran southbound through an adjacent alley to a waiting vehicle,” said police. “The suspect entered the passenger side of the vehicle and fled the area….the vehicle was driven by an unidentified female,” wrote the LAPD.

Two victims were taken to the hospital with one refusing medical treatment at the scene. Nipsey Hussle died as a result of his gunshot wounds, confirmed police.

Police sources told the New York Daily News that the suspect was someone Nipsey Hussle knew. While the shooting could be classified as gang-related because of the rapper’s previous connection to a notorious Los Angeles gang, sources told the Daily News that the motive is believed to have stemmed from a personal “deal gone wrong,” rather than a rival gang member taking a shot at Hussle.

“Fly Mac”

A source also told the Los Angeles Times that the shooting was possibly not tied to a larger gang dispute.

Just hours before he was killed, Nipsey Hussle tweeted, “Having strong enemies is a blessing.”