R.I.P. To ATL Rapper Dolla

LOS ANGELES -- A Georgia man has been arrested in the murder of up-and-coming rapper "Dolla" at the Beverly Center shopping mall.

The 21-year-old rapper "Dolla," born Roderick Anthony Burton II, was shot and killed Monday afternoon as he and another rapper, D.J. Shabbazz, were waiting at the valet stand after a shopping trip, according to Burton's publicist Sue Vannasing.

Vannasing said he was shot in the head.

LAPD Sgt. Ronnie Crump confirmed the victim was shot about 3:15 p.m. on the ground floor of the mall. Nearby diners dove for cover when the shots rang out.

Burton arrived at LAX from Atlanta earlier in the day and went to the Beverly Center to do some shopping, Vannasing said. Burton apparently had a dispute with some people, perhaps at the airport, she added.

"They followed him to the mall because they knew he was coming," Vannasing said. Los Angeles police officials could not immediately confirm or deny that account.

Burton was rushed to Cedars Sinai Medical Center where he died of his wounds.

Los Angeles police said in a statement Tuesday that 23-year-old Aubrey Louis Berry of Georgia was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on Monday night. His bail was set at $1 million.

Berry was found at the ticket counter at Terminal 1.

"The suspect was detained without incident [and] discovered to be armed," said Los Angeles World Airports spokeswoman Nancy Castles. Police said they recovered a loaded 9mm semiautomatic handgun from the suspect.

A silver Mercedes, thought to be the suspect's getaway car, was later found in an airport parking lot. Police were investigating whether Berry was trying to board a flight out of Los Angeles.

Burton is best known for his work on the soundtrack for the 2006 dance film "Step Up" and for the two singles released with the singer Akon: "Like This" and "She So Fine."

Burton was an up-and-coming rapper who had recorded several singles. He was in town to work on his first album, slated to be released this summer on Jive Records, Vannasing said.

His first single, released in 2007, was "Who the [Expletive] is that?"

He was born in Chicago in 1988 and moved with his family to the Los Angeles area and then to Atlanta, according to a biography on his MySpace.com page.

The biography said he lived a life full of misfortune, witnessing his father commit suicide at age 5 and turning to crime to support his family at age 10. He began rapping as 12, and formed a group called Da Razkals Cru.