"Well if there was no police reports it’s obvious" - Netizens react as Troy Ave reportedly staged robbery suspect shootout for internet clout

Troy Ave reportedly staged the recent robbery video shared by his friend and celebrity chef Geoff Cole. On July 15, 2025, Cole shared surveillance footage in which the two were getting out of the car when a masked robber came up from behind. Troy Ave pulled his handgun and shot at the man, and he ran away.

In the caption of the post, Chef stated that they were returning from a successful Chef Fest when a "hater" tried to "take it all away."

TMZ reported on July 16, 2025, that sources confirmed that Troy Ave reportedly staged the shooting. The media outlet also shared that San Diego police stated that they had no report of robbery or shooting.

The X user @nojumper shared the news, and netizens had a negative reaction to the tweet.

One user (@tridactyl561) stated that the incident being fake made sense as there were no police reports.

"Well if there was no police reports it's obvious," they wrote.

Well if there was no police reports it’s obvious

— Wack100 Exposure (@tridactyl561) July 17, 2025

Netizens called the alleged staged clip sad and cornier than Drake wearing a bullet hole hoodie during his Anna Max Win tour, which seemingly referred to his public feud with Kendrick Lamar, as well as the internet users' reaction to it.

One netizen (@leeman24) stated that rappers are now making TikTok videos.

"This cornier than Drake coming out on stage with the bullet holes in the hoodie," one netizen wrote.

"Sad state of affairs that y'all need this to care about artists," another netizen added.

"Rappers now making their version of tik toks.. I've known his name for a while but not a single song," one X user wrote.

Netizens continued to criticize the rapper, saying he got his one minute of fame and now nobody will pay attention to him.

One user (@THEJAMAICA43834) pointed out how Troy Ave grabbed his gun before the masked robber approached them.

"Yall really believed this sh*t lmao. It wasn't on the news, and if you watch close he clutched for the gun before the guy even ran up. We don't even gotta talk about the terrible acting when buddy got shot," one netizen wrote.

"Congratulations n***a you got people to engage with content involving you for 60 seconds max… Now we're all back to not paying attention to a damn thing you do," another X user wrote.

"Ain't no way, folks really risking everything for likes now… this world so backwards it's sad fr," another user added.

Last year, Troy Ave served a prison sentence for being involved in a 2016 shooting

On May 25, 2016, Troy Ave and podcastor Taxstone got into a physical altercation at New York City's Irving Plaza.

It turned into a shooting, and the rapper's bodyguard, Ronald "Banga" McPhatter, passed away. Several others were also injured.

CCTV footage showed the rapper holding a gun and shooting; however, he claimed it was out of self-defence.

Taxstone was found guilty of shooting and killing McPhatter and was sentenced to 35 years in prison.

Troy Ave was sentenced to one year in prison. However, he was released on August 22, 2024, after serving six months.

Troy Ave has not responded to the staged robbery rumors.