Reporting from Scoop Nashville
In late June, a group of bounty hunters, working for a local bonding company, located Masi Kingston in Atlanta, GA. Kingston was out on bond and failed to appear for a June 2022 court date. The judge eventually forfeited his bond, and the bonding company was responsible for bringing either the full bond monetary amount, or Masi Kingston himself, to the court.
They clumsily waited outside his Atlanta apartment complex on the night of June 20 while he was broadcasting an hours-long stream on social media, but after a couple of hours, they gave up as they could not figure out how to get past the multiple gates of the apartment complex. They came back the next day and took him into custody after a brief foot chase. Kingston, accompanied by a vehicle full of bounty hunters, began the long drive back to Nashville so he could be surrendered.
t’s not entirely clear what happened along this ride, but Kingston had his phone the entire time and was communicating with multiple individuals throughout the hours-long ride. At some point, there was a bathroom stop at a convenience store which left him and one of the men in a restroom together while the others waited outside for nearly an hour, according to those familiar with the events of the night.
Once the men arrived at the Metro Nashville Police Warrants Office in downtown Nashville, Kingston was led in by at least one of the bondsmen; however, this is where their accounts of the night begin to differ. Video from the lobby of the warrants office reportedly shows Kingston entering the lobby and walking out approximately ten minutes later. Why his handcuffs were removed by the bounty hunters remains a contentious point of debate. Some accounts have him being uncuffed the majority of the ride and never reapplied once at the warrants office. Some accounts have him paying the bounty hunters an amount of money to leave him uncuffed and walk out of the door. One thing for certain is that Masi Kingston wasn’t waiting around to find out why the proper handcuffing procedure wasn’t followed.
In a statement to Scoop: Nashville, Metro Nashville police say, in part, “Kingston was left in the office after contact was made with an MNPD Warrants Officer. The officer went to fill out paperwork regarding the arrest, and when he returned, Kingston had indeed walked out.” The department has opened an internal investigation into the matter.
After fleeing the warrants office, bounty hunters unsuccessfully followed him through two airports from Nashville to Houston, where he then flew to Miami for a week. He also flew back into the Nashville Airport last week without anyone there to stop him. He has since abandoned his Atlanta apartment and is once again starting over in Nashville. He’s been in recent contact with his tax scam clients and is looking for an apartment in Nashville.
What’s he fleeing for? In addition to the bond forfeiture in Nashville, Kingston has open warrants in Montgomery County for theft, Williamson County for state felony probation, and in Texas, where he previously served some jail time. If you have seen Kingston, please call 615-569-4843 — cash reward for details leading to his arrest. Kingston has recently posted his locations on social media, taunting those folks searching for him.
Masi Kingston (MNPD)
