The rapper whose album release party in River North last summer preceded the deadliest mass shooting in Chicago history is now being held in the Cook County Jail after Chicago police allegedly found a stolen handgun beneath her driver’s seat during a traffic stop last week.
Melanie “Mello Buckzz” Doyle, 25, was detained on felony weapons charges after officers stopped her vehicle in the Lower West Side on June 15. But her astute promotional team capitalized on the arrest by sharing her Cook County Sheriff’s Office mugshot on social media to publicize the upcoming release of new music.
According to police reports and court records, Doyle was driving a 2020 Mercedes GLC in the 1900 block of South Rockwell Street at about 10 p.m. when officers stopped her for allegedly having illegal window tint on the windshield. During the stop, officers reported seeing an open bottle of Tito’s vodka on the front passenger-side floorboard, a container holding what they described as a “green leafy like substance” believed to be marijuana, and the barrel of a handgun protruding from beneath the driver’s seat.
Based on those observations, officers instructed Doyle to exit the vehicle, a CPD report said, but she allegedly refused to comply. The report said officers spent approximately 15 minutes attempting to persuade Doyle to step out before a sergeant “assisted her to exit” by taking hold of her arm and removing her from the vehicle, the report stated.
Police determined the handgun had been reported stolen in Bedford Park, according to the report. Prosecutors said Doyle does not possess a Firearm Owner’s Identification card or a concealed carry license. Judge Shauna Boliker granted prosecutors’ request to detain Doyle on charges of aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon and misdemeanor resisting a peace officer.
Court records show Doyle was already serving a probation sentence stemming from an April 2025 guilty plea to aggravated battery in a public place.
In that case, prosecutors alleged Doyle sought out another rapper with whom she had an ongoing feud and attacked her in suburban Calumet Park. Court records said the victim was pushed through a large window during the confrontation.
The rivalry had played out publicly before the confrontation, with the other rapper allegedly releasing a diss track containing lyrics including, “I ain’t got to lift a hand, this how you kill a ho with class” and “let me catch you out there slipping,” followed by a series of social media exchanges with Doyle.
Doyle’s name became nationally known on July 2, 2025, when 18 people were shot, four fatally, outside Artis Lounge, 311 West Chicago Avenue, as attendees left a record release party she hosted. An internal Chicago Police Department bulletin obtained by CWB Chicago said investigators believed the attack was “possibly gang related,” with detectives recovering more than 20 shell casings from three calibers at the scene.
Artis Lounge permanently closed later that month after coming under pressure from city officials. Hours after the attack, Alderman Brendan Reilly accused the venue’s operators of being “dishonest” with city officials regarding how they intended to use the property. The location had also been the site of a mass shooting under previous ownership in 2022.
Three months after the attack, Cook County Crime Stoppers announced a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to arrests in the case. No charges have been filed. The shooting remains unsolved.
One week after the attack, the rapper’s father, Melvin Doyle, was arraigned in federal court on firearms trafficking charges. Federal prosecutors alleged he sold 13 firearms to confidential informants working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, including one transaction that occurred after the July 2 shooting outside Artis Lounge. A law enforcement source told CWB Chicago that investigators found no evidence linking Melvin Doyle’s alleged gun sales to the mass shooting.
Federal court records indicate Melvin Doyle is negotiating a plea agreement with prosecutors. His sentencing hearing is currently scheduled for September.
Original reporting you’ll see nowhere else, paid for by our readers. Click here to support our work.
