Seems like the drama just doesn't stop for Clifford Harris, better known to the world as hip hop star T.I. On Saturday, the self-proclaimed "King of the South" was arrested just hours before he was due to perform at the 2007 BET Hip Hop Awards, which took place this past weekend at the Civic Center in Atlanta, GA. The charges against T.I. include possession of unregistered machine guns and silencers, as well as possession of firearms by a convicted felon. According to NBC4.com, the arrest resulted from an investigation that began earlier this month. A federal firearms dealer told the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) that a man was inquiring about buying a machine gun without registering the weapon as required, according to a criminal complaint filed Saturday in the U.S. District Court in Atlanta.
After trying to buy several machine guns from an undercover ATF agent, the unnamed person began cooperating with the government and said he was buying the machine guns and silencers for Harris, the complaint said. The bodyguard said that he had bought about nine firearms for Harris, and that the rapper had given him cash to buy guns four times, the complaint said. Harris brokered the deals through the bodyguard because the rapper is a convicted felon, the complaint alleged. It is against federal law for a convicted felon to have another person get firearms on their behalf.
The 27-year-old rapper arranged to meet with the bodyguard Saturday to exchange cash for weapons, the complaint said. After his arrest in a shopping center parking lot not far from the awards show, agents found three firearms in the vehicle he was driving, including a loaded firearm between the driver's seat and center console, according to the complaint.
As the awards were being taped in Atlanta on Saturday night, federal authorities were still searching T.I.'s home in East Point, about 15 miles southwest of the city. Once inside, agents reportedly found six guns in a closet, including three allegedly bought by the bodyguard for the rapper last month, according to the complaint. Five were loaded, agents said.
Despite all the commotion, T.I. did manage to make it to the awards ceremony, although he did not take the stage to perform.