August trial date set for Ja Rule in NYC gun case stemming from 2007 stop of his sports car

August trial date set for Ja Rule in NYC gun case

NEW YORK — A court wants Ja Rule to book a date in New York City this summer — for a trial in his three-year-old gun case.

A Manhattan judge set an Aug. 18 trial date on Tuesday, after turning down the platinum-selling rapper’s request for a hearing on a type of DNA analysis used in the case. In denying the request, Manhattan state Supreme Court Justice Richard Carruthers found “no new or novel techniques involved in the testing procedure.”

Defense lawyer Stacey Richman said she planned to appeal the ruling.

Ja Rule, who has pleaded not guilty to criminal weapons possession, was allowed to skip the proceeding for a movie shoot out of town.

The case against him stems from a stop of his $250,000-plus Maybach sports car after a July 2007 concert. Police say they found a loaded semiautomatic gun in a rear door of the car.

If convicted, the 34-year-old could face up to four years in prison.

Ja Rule’s “Pain is Love” was nominated for a best rap album Grammy Award in 2002, and the gravelly-voiced rapper — born Jeffrey Atkins — collaborated on hits with artists including Ashanti and Jennifer Lopez. His acting credits include the 2001 film “The Fast and the Furious” and 2003’s “Scary Movie 3.”