Lil Wayne Protege "Flow" Arrested For Attempted Murder

New Orleans rapper Widner DeGruy, 21, who performs as Flow and was signed to Lil Wayne's Young Money Entertainment label in 2012, has been booked with attempted first-degree murder in Chalmette and two counts of armed robbery, St. Bernard Parish Sheriff Jimmy Pohlmann said Tuesday evening. DeGruy, also known by the nickname Esho Hero, was arrested in the Oakland, Calif., area recently by a U.S. Marshal's task force and was returned to Chalmette on Thursday for prosecution after waiving extradition, Pohlmann said.

DeGruy had fled to California after arrest warrants alleged that he had shot at, and narrowly missed, an eastern St. Bernard man he knew on April 29. He allegedly had beaten and robbed that man and another eastern St. Bernard man of cash and their cellphones, Pohlmann said.

Detectives have not released information about a possible motive in the shooting and robberies, and the Sheriff's Office did not immediately release the name of the alleged victims, stating fears about possible retaliation.

DeGruy performs with his band The Flamez (or the Flame Gang Muzik) and has released several mix tapes after the release of his first solo mix tape, Heroic Volume 1, in 2009, according to his website. He also appeared on Lil Wayne's "Sorry 4 The Wait" and "Dedication 4" mix tapes, according to the website.

DeGruy, whose last known address was in the 7900 block of Bass Street in eastern New Orleans, allegedly had two people with him during the attacks and an investigation is continuing, Pohlmann said.

DeGruy was being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison on Tuesday evening in lieu of a $350,000 bond.

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