Atlanta rapper Silento charged with driving 143 mph on I-85

In this July 21, 2015, file photo, rapper Silento poses for a portrait in New York. Silento, known for "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)" and whose legal name is Richard Lamar Hawk, was charged Friday, Oct. 23, 2020 with driving 143 mph on an Atlanta interstate. The rapper faces several charges, including reckless driving and speeding. (Photo by Drew Gurian/Invision/AP, File) In this July 21, 2015, file photo, rapper Silento poses for a portrait in New York. Silento, known for "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)" and whose legal name is Richard Lamar Hawk, was charged Friday, Oct. 23, 2020 with driving 143 mph on an Atlanta interstate. The rapper faces several charges, including reckless driving and speeding. (Photo by Drew Gurian/Invision/AP, File)

By Associated Press October 26, 2020 2 min read

ATLANTA (AP) – Atlanta rapper Silento was arrested Friday and accused of driving 143 mph (230 kph) on Interstate 85, authorities said.

Silento, or Richard “Ricky” Lamar Hawk, was charged with reckless driving, speeding, failure to maintain lane and improper stopping, news outlets reported.

A DeKalb police report said Hawk was pulled over around 3 a.m. after an officer witnessed Hawk’s white BMW swerving around slower cars.

The report said Hawk initially argued with the officer about how fast he was going and insisted that he’d done nothing wrong.

Later, Hawk told the officer he was speeding because he normally gets followed when leaving events, the report said.