Jowell & Randy’s Randy Ortiz Acevedo Arrested in Puerto Rico on Domestic Violence Charges

Authorities in Puerto Rico arrested Randy Ortiz Acevedo of the popular reggaeton duo Jowell & Randy on domestic violence charges after a judge on Monday (Jan. 9) ruled there was sufficient evidence against the singer.

Ortiz, who is not required to enter a plea yet, was detained on a $15,000 bond, prosecutor Anthony Oyola told reporters. A publicist for Ortiz did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

Oyola said the charges stem from a Jan. 7 incident but declined to provide further details given that it’s a domestic violence case. He added only that Ortiz’s mother testified on behalf of the singer before he was charged.

Jowell & Randy are considered reggaeton pioneers that began their careers 20 years ago. In October, the group released their first new music since 2020’s pandemic-inspired “Se Acabó la Cuarentena” featuring Kiko el Crazy when they dropped “Toro.”

Produced by Subelo Neo and composed by Mora, the ultra-perreo was a distillation of the Puerto Rican duo’s essence. “We feel the responsibility to ‘romper la calle’ very hard,” Jowell told Billboard at the time. “We cannot play with being experimental and bringing concepts that are not the sound people expect from us.” 

The pair said they had recorded enough songs for three albums for the follow-up to 2020’s Viva El Perreo, which peaked at No. 5 on the Top Latin Albums chart; at press time the album’s release date had not yet been announced.