In 1973, Shakur and a group of her comrades from the Black Liberation Army (BLA) were pulled over for a "routine motor vehicle stop" and a shoot-out ensued, resulting in the death of an officer.
Shakur has always been clear that she did not have a weapon, and was shot in the hand with her hands up. A powerful leader for Black liberation and against racial capitalism, Shakur is sentenced to prison in 1977. In 1979, she will escape to Cuba, where she continues to live in exile to this day.