Rapper TI arrested in Atlanta before the BET awards on gun charges

Rapper T.I. (Clifford Harris) was arrested on Saturday in Atlanta, just hours before his appearance at the BET awards.

Rapper TI arrested in Atlanta before the BET awards on gun charges Hip Hop singer T.I. (real name Clifford Harris) was arrested by ATF agents on Saturday afternoon in Atlanta on charges of buying illegal firearms. His arrest happened in a city parking lot and according to reports, T.I. was cough red-handed taking possession of three machine guns from his bodyguard.

"This convicted felon allegedly was trying to add several machine guns to an already large and entirely illegal arsenal of guns. Thanks to the good and quick work of ATF, he is now in custody and his firearms have been seized," read a statement from the U.S. District Attorney of Georgia. According to the statement, T.I.'s arrest was the culmination of a long undercover operation after the local police learned that an individual was looking to buy firearms without registration. This turned out to be the rapper's bodyguard, who was arrested earlier by the ATF agents and claimed that he was buying the guns for T.I. He also agreed to cooperate with the authorities and the ATF agents made the bust at the moment T.I. took delivery of the guns from his bodyguard. Following the arrest, agents also raided the rapper's Atlanta home, where they found six more unregistered firearms. He is due in court on Monday to face the charges.

T.I. is now facing serious federal charges and a potentially long prison sentence, according to the U.S. District Attorney. It's a federal offense for a convicted felon to have someone else purchase firearms on their behalf and T.I. was already convicted in 1998 and sentenced on seven years probation for violating Georgia Controlled Substances Act.

T.I. was scheduled to perform with Wyclef Jean at the BET awards just hours after the arrest, but after being booked, host Katt Williams had to fill in for him. T.I. was unable to accept his awards and Common accepted one of T.I.'s awards on his behalf.

Published on 10/14/2007