RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Tyra Sanchez is arrested for ‘assaulting and threatening to shoot a cop’

RuPaul’s Drag Race champ Tyra Sanchez, whose real name is James William Ross IV, was arrested last month in Starke, Florida.

The 35-year-old former reality television star had gotten into a car crash and began yelling at a cop who arrived at the scene shortly after, according to TMZ.

When the law enforcement official attempted to calm Ross and later put him in handcuffs, he reportedly ‘threatened to shoot the officer.’

It was added that Ross went to reach inside his car, prompting the cop to put him in a bear hug and deploy a taser.

Undeterred, Ross began to run, but cops were able to apprehend and arrest him for assault and resisting without violence.

Flashback: Ross dressed as Tyra Sanchez in 2013

Ross was crowned the winner of the second season of RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2010, leaving the show with a $25,000 prize. 

In 2020, Ross retired his alter ego Tyra, but returned in 2022 with an OnlyFans account under the name King Tyra.

It comes after Ross was arrested and taken to Fulton County Jail in Atlanta for vandalism in 2020. 

At the time, a spokesperson for the Atlanta Police Department said they responded to a call at an apartment complex, where someone had spray-painted the words ‘do not move here’ across the building, PEOPLE reported.

Ross was identified as the suspect by police officers and charged with criminal damage to the property, per the report.

TMZ report that Ross was living in the building that he allegedly tagged with graffiti and had reportedly not paid his rent in months.  

The reality star won season two of RuPaul Drag Race in 2010, but has since distanced himself from his alter ego, Tyra. 

In March 2020, Ross announced that he was retiring from his drag act, according to Instinct Magazine. 

2017:  James dressed as himself as he posed in front of RuPaul’s Drag Race posters

Stardom: The reality contestant pictured at a Drag Race party in New York in 2010

And in a social media post that was later deleted, Ross stated that he had ‘outgrown the desire to dress up,’ adding that he ‘wants muscles, no more shaving my face, I want to look like ZADDY!’ He also said: ‘MY NAME IS JAMES OR JAY. NOT TYRA, SHE, MA’AM, OR QUEEN.’

Currently his Instagram account has deleted all its posts, and just has one video image with the caption: ‘Verified NEW IG @CREATORIV Tyra Sanchez does not exist anymore and will never return. Stop hoping. Stop wishing. Stop asking.’

However, in an Instagram post from February 23, Ross shared side by side photos as himself and as his alter ego and wrote to fans, ‘With me, James Ross, bringing my character Tyra back I wanted to take a moment to remind everyone that I answer to James and I prefer his/him/he pronouns. 

‘No shade. Just friendly reminder. I mean if you met Martin, are you gonna call him Shenehneh?’