T.I.?s Arrest Explained By A Witness, Source Close To The Rapper Says He Was Set UpAn Atlanta native who witnessed T.I.?s arrest on Saturday afternoon (October 13) recently detailed the shocking incident.
As reported earlier, T.I. was arrested at a shopping center parking lot in midtown Atlanta yesterday while trying to purchase a machine gun and two silencers from his bodyguard.
Hassan Musaddiq, an Atlanta based camera man who witnessed the rapper?s arrest, recounted the incident to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution saying that the authorities took T.I., his longtime girlfriend Tameka ?Tiny? Cottle and rappers Mac Boney and Young Dro into custody.
?I saw the ATF (The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) come out of nowhere,? Musaddiq explained. ?They had them all on the ground. At first, I didn't even realize it was T.I. It was crazy. There was an unmarked black van and then about 10 squad cars came in.?
?I didn't see T.I. with any weapons but the ATF officers had guns out,? Musaddiq continued. ?It was total drama.?
T.I.?s bodyguard, who had been working for the rapper since July, was reportedly busted on Wednesday (October 10) for trying to purchase the aforementioned guns from an undercover ATF agent.
While in custody, the bodyguard agreed to co-operate with the authorities and revealed that he was buying the guns for T.I. and he had also bought other guns for the rapper in the past. He also told the police about other guns in T.I.?s bedroom closet at his Atlanta home
The authorities would then record the bodyguard holding a series of conversations with T.I. about buying the guns. The bodyguard then arranged the meeting at the parking lot for T.I. to pick up the guns.
The arresting officers would find three other guns in the car that T.I. drove to the parking lot.
A search of T.I.?s home shortly after the arrest would produce six guns which were discovered in his bedroom closet.
T.I. has been charged with two felonies--possession of three unregistered machine guns and two silencers, and possession of firearms by a convicted felon.
The rapper is a convicted felon on seven year probation thanks to drug and illegal firearm possession charges he picked in the late 90?s.
T.I. will remain in federal custody until Monday (October 15) when he will appear before a judge at the United States Courthouse in Atlanta.
Vanessa McLemore, an ATF special agent, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in statement Saturday that T.I. is facing a ?potentially long prison sentence?.
A source close to T.I., who chose not be identified, revealed to Media Takeout earlier today (October 14) that the rapper had never tried to purchase guns and it was his bodyguard acting on his own.
?[The bodyguard] asked T.I. for an advance on his [pay] and T.I. gave it to him,? the source said. ?Whatever he spent money on--whether it is guns, drugs, or formula for his children--T.I. had nothing to do with it.?
The source also said that the guns found at T.I?s home belonged to his security.
?T.I. has security that lives with him and stay with him at all times,? the source explained. ?The gun that the [federal agents] found belonged to his security team--all of whom are licensed to carry them?.
?The government was just looking to pin a case on T.I. - they've been trying for years,.? the source continued. ?So they pushed [the bodyguard] into snitching on T.I.?
T.I. was scheduled to perform at the BET Hip Hop Awards on Saturday at Atlanta's Civic Center but failed appear because of the arrest. He was nominated for nine awards but won two awards including ?CD of The Year?, which he shared with Common.
Various rappers including Busta Rhymes and Alfamega, who were slated to share the stage with T.I., echoed their support for the Atlanta bred rapper during the event which airs on Wednesday (October 17).
http://www.sixshot.com/articles/8162/
October 04, 2007, 06:15:05 AM
