Rapper T.I., whose real name is Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr., was arrested this afternoon in Atlanta. The ATF executed a search warrant at his home, and according to Atlanta's FOX 5 News, T.I., remains in custody.

The agencies at the scene of the federal search warrant include: The ATF, U.S. Marshalls: Fugitive Task Force, Fulton County SWAT, Fulton County PD, Dekalb County PD, and the ATF/Atlanta PD Violent Crime Impact Team.

The U.S. Attorney's office will neither confirm nor deny anything about the investigation.

T.I. currently has a number of projects, including a movie with Denzel Washington set for November release, and he was slated to perform at tonight's BET Hip-Hop Awards, scheduled to air October 17. The rapper has nine nominations, more than any other artist at the event.

TMZ contacted T.I.'s rep, who has no statement at this time.

http://www.tmz.com/2007/1...in-atlanta

That n!gga did it...

LittleBLUECorvette said:

LEAVE T.I. ALONE!!!!!1

What's up with these rappers getting arrested?
Is it to gain more street cred or to sell more albums.
I mean I don't get it.
They got all the money and women. They ain't in the streets no more.
What's the deal?

Not my man!!!! WTF!! Ya'll leave T.I. alone

LittleBLUECorvette said:

LittleBLUECorvette said:

you know who you sound like?

bboy87 said:

LOL ... I was tryin to sound like

LittleBLUECorvette said:

That face gives me nightmares

Here's more:


http://www.accessnorthga....D=98932ATF agents search home of Atlanta rapper T.I. during BET Awards

The Associated Press - ATLANTA

At the start of the BET Hip-Hop Awards in Atlanta on Saturday night, federal authorities were executing a search warrant on at the home of Atlanta rapper T.I., a nine-time nominee who was expected to sweep the evening's ceremonies.

Special agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives spent most of Saturday afternoon at the College Park residence about 15 miles southwest of the city. ATF spokesman Special Agent Marc S. Jackson would not say who the owner of the home is, but a search of property records listed the owner as Clifford Harris, which is T.I.'s born name.

When asked about the federal search on Saturday, Patrick Crosby, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office, would neither confirm nor deny whether Harris was under investigation.

Saturday was supposed to be a day of revelry for T.I., who turned 27 on Sept. 25 and is the co-CEO of Grand Hustle Records. The self-proclaimed "King of the South" won three awards in Atlanta at last year's inaugural BET Hip-Hop Awards and received nine nominations this year, including CD of the Year, Lyricist of the Year and MVP of the Year.

The BET Hip-Hop Awards were taped on Saturday at the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center and are scheduled to air on Oct. 17 at 8 p.m.

T.I. was noticeably absent from the red carpet festivities before the show began at 6 p.m., though he was at the Civic Center earlier on Saturday.

His sixth album, "T.I. vs. T.I.P." was released July 3 and debuted at the top of the Billboard charts. His record sales steadily increased with each of his previous five albums. His 2001 debut, "I'm Serious," sold about 270,000 copies, and "King," released in March 2006, sold more than half a million copies.

He has also demonstrated his mainstream appeal in the past year, first hitting the big screen in his debut movie, "ATL" in March 2006. Next month, he has a role opposite Academy Award-winners Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe in "American Gangster," set to be released Nov. 2.

T.I. was also a spokesman for Chevrolet, where he rapped and raced alongside All-American NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

He won two Grammys last year: for best rap solo for "What You Know" and with Justin Timberlake for "My Love," which was awarded best rap/sung collaboration. T.I. is a two-time nominee for the upcoming American Music Awards in the categories of rap/hip-hop favorite male artist and favorite album.

Last year also brought tragedy to the troubled rapper. In May 2006, his best friend, Philant Johnson, was killed and three others were injured in a gun shootout following a post-performance party in Cincinnati. The killer remains at-large and T.I. was briefly locked up a few days after the funeral for allegedly failing to perform community service stemming from a 2003 arrest.

T.I. grew up on the impoverished streets of Atlanta, in the city's Bankhead neighborhood, and was selling crack by the time he was a teenager. After years of hustling to launch his rap career, recording demos and flying back and forth to New York shopping for a record deal, his first taste of success came with his 2003 album, "Trap Muzik." But the following year, warrants were issued for his arrest on probation violations for a drug conviction and was sentenced to three years behind bars
-----



http://www.accessatlanta....ab_newstab

UPDATED: 8:05 p.m. October 13, 2007
Feds search home of Atlanta rapper T.I.

By JEFFRY SCOTT
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution


Published on: 10/13/2007

As the BET Hip-Hop Awards continued Saturday night at the Civic Center in downtown Atlanta, federal authorities were searching the East Point property of the biggest act of the show.

ATF spokesman Marc Jackson confirmed the search of the home of Atlanta rapper T.I. had been under way since about 3 p.m., while at the show rumors circulated speculating about a bust and T.I.'s whereabouts.

Jackson declined to elaborate on the search, but said agents from the ATF were joined by others from the U.S. Marshals Service, the Fulton County Sheriff's Department, DeKalb County Police and members of the Atlanta Police Department.

Jackson said there is also a fugitive squad involved in the investigation. He wouldn't say whether any arrests had been made.

T.I. was the co-winner of Saturday night's first award, sharing CD of the year with Common, who accepted on both's behalf. T.I's publicist, Sydney Margetson, said the 27-year-old rapper made an appearance at the Atlanta Civic Center earlier Saturday, but he was nowhere to be found on the pre-show red carpet or inside the packed Civic Center during the show.

But the rapper, who was scheduled to perform, wasn't forgotten during the taped show. Shortly before 8 p.m., two acts took to the stage to perform T.I. songs: Wyclef Jean and DJ Drama did "You Know What It Is" followed by Busta Rhymes and Alpha Mega sharing the mike for T.I.'s "Hurt."

When they finished "Hurt," the two artists raised their fists to the crowd and shouted, "Free T.I.P," in reference to the embattled rapper's hit.

BET officials stood firmly behind T.I., who was nominated for nine awards Saturday, tops in the field. " not only has a great career in music but a great career in television, film and anything he sets his mind to," said Reginald Hudland, president for entertainment for BET.

"What strikes me about T.I. is the goodness of his spirit. I think T.I. is a great person and a gigantic artist and he has our utmost support."

Still, word begin to filter through the crowd about an arrest at a Walgreens drugstore at the corner of North and Piedmont avenues at about 2:30 Saturday afternoon, and it may have involved T.I., whose given name is Clifford Harris Jr.

Hassan Musaddiq, a cameraman for the Atlanta public access hip-hop show "Severe Entertainment," said he was in the Walgreens parking lot and witnessed the arrest. He was there to pick up a video camera for red carpet interviews.

"I saw the ATF come out of nowhere," Musaddiq said. "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."

Mussaddiq says he saw ATF officers take T.I., his longtime girlfriend Tameka "Tiny" Cottle and rappers Mac Boney and Young Dro, who record for T.I.'s Grand Hustle record label into custody as well.

The cameraman said he didn't have his equipment at the time of the alleged arrest. He said he had seen the rappers together earlier in the day up the street at the Civic Center, where rehearsals were under way for the awards show.

Musaddiq said he was there to get his media credentials for the red carpet. He said he watched while officers towed off a black Range Rover and a tan Suburban from the Walgreens parking lot as well.

"I didn't see T.I. with any weapons but the ATF officers had guns out," Musaddiq said. "It was total drama."

On the red carpet, T.I. publicist Margetson, clutching a pink encased BlackBerry, had no comment when asked about the arrest.

Margetson said that he had seen the rapper earlier in the day. He confirmed, however, that the rapper and actor, who led the second annual "BET Hip Hop Awards" nominations with nine nods was not present at the civic center.

On the red carpet, BET president Reginald Hudlin said he was unaware of any arrest of his client, who led the way with nine BET awards nominations.

In May 2006, T.I. and his entourage were reportedly involved in a shooting in Cincinnati after an altercation at a nightclub in which three were wounded, and T.I.'s friend and personal assistant Philant Johnson was killed.

-- Staff writer Sonia Murray contributed to this article

DANG!!! They sent every law enforcement department in the book after him. This sounds serious.

So what are they searching for, 'crack or weapons?

LittleBLUECorvette said:

From what I heard, weapons.

This saddens me because I heard 2 radio interviews with him this week and he talked about how he stays out of trouble and leads a "normal" life.

United States Attorney David E. Nahmias
Northern District of Georgia

CLIFFORD HARRIS, a/k/a "T.I.," ARRESTED ON FEDERAL FIREARMS CHARGES

Arrest Comes After Harris, a Convicted Felon, Accepted Delivery of Machine Guns and Silencers; Additional Guns Found In Harris' Vehicle and House

Atlanta, GA CLIFFORD HARRIS, 27, an entertainer also known as "T.I.," of College Park, Georgia, was arrested in Atlanta at approximately 2:30 p.m. today by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), as he allegedly took possession of three machine guns and two silencers. Three other firearms were found in the vehicle HARRIS was driving. ATF also executed a federal search warrant at HARRIS' house at 4XX Creekview Lane in College Park, finding six additional firearms in his bedroom closet.

United States Magistrate Judge Linda T. Walker issued a federal criminal complaint after the arrest and search, charging HARRIS with the felony offenses of (1) possession of unregistered machine guns and (2) possession of firearms by a convicted felon. HARRIS will be held in federal custody over the weekend and then will make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Alan J. Baverman at the United States Courthouse in Atlanta on Monday, October 15, at a time to be determined by the court. The United States Attorney's Office and ATF will hold a short news conference afterward at a location to be determined.

"Machine guns pose a serious danger to the community, which is why they are so carefully regulated," said David E. Nahmias, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia. "The last place machine guns should be is in the hands of a convicted felon, who cannot legally possess any kind of firearm. 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."


"This investigation developed very quickly," said Vanessa McLemore, Special Agent in Charge of ATF's Atlanta Division. "We learned only this Wednesday that the cooperating witness was allegedly buying the machine guns for Harris. The cooperating witness told Harris on Thursday that he had obtained the items, and on Friday Harris made it clear that he wanted them delivered to him today. Harris then agreed to meet and took possession of the machine guns this afternoon. He now faces serious federal charges and a potentially long prison sentence."

According to U.S. Attorney Nahmias and the information filed in court: On October 2, 2007, an employee of a federal firearms licensee advised ATF that an individual was seeking to purchase a machine gun without registering the weapon as required by law. The individual was directed to an ATF agent acting in an undercover capacity, posing as a machine gun dealer. Last Wednesday, October 10, 2007, the individual was arrested by ATF after purchasing three unregistered machine guns and two silencers from the undercover agent in exchange for $2,200 and a pistol. The individual then agreed to cooperate with ATF, including with respect to his purpose for obtaining the firearms.

The cooperating witness (CW) advised the agents that he was purchasing the machine guns on October 10 on behalf of CLIFFORD HARRIS, aka "T.I.," an entertainer for whom the CW had been working as a bodyguard since July 2007. The CW admitted to straw purchasing about nine firearms for HARRIS and about 17 firearms for other persons on previous occasions. Firearm purchase records confirm that the CW has purchased about 25 firearms over the past 18 months. The CW said that HARRIS gave him cash to buy guns on four occasions. HARRIS asked the CW to purchase the firearms for him because HARRIS has a prior felony conviction and therefore cannot lawfully purchase or possess firearms under federal law, while the CW could lawfully obtain guns.

According to the CW, he purchased a Calico 9mm pistol on September 6, 2007, and delivered it to HARRIS at HARRIS' house on Creekview Lane, where he also saw multiple firearms in a safe in the walk-in closet in HARRIS' bedroom. The CW next purchased a Smith & Wesson .500 caliber revolver for HARRIS on September 18, 2007, delivering it to an associate of HARRIS' to give to HARRIS. On or about September 26, 2007, the CW purchased seven more firearms, three rifles and four handguns, using $7,000 in cash provided by HARRIS, and delivered the firearms to HARRIS at the Creekview Lane house.

Finally, last Wednesday, October 10, 2007, HARRIS arranged for the CW to pick up $12,000 in cash from HARRIS's bank, telling the CW to use the funds to purchase machine guns for HARRIS. The CW was arrested later that day when he attempted to purchase three machine guns and two silencers from the undercover ATF agent.

After agreeing to cooperate with ATF, the CW had a series of telephone calls with HARRIS, which were recorded by ATF with the CW's consent. On Thursday, October 11, 2007, the CW called HARRIS to say that he had"everything for you," referring to the machine guns he was supposed to purchase on Harris' behalf; HARRIS replied affirmatively.

On Friday, October 12, 2007, HARRIS called the CW. The CW asked HARRIS when he wanted to take delivery of what the CW had, and HARRIS told the CW that he would take delivery today, Saturday, October 13, 2007.

After the CW left HARRIS a message this morning, shortly after noon HARRIS called the CW to arrange the pick up. At approximately 2:22 p.m., HARRIS met with the CW in a shopping center parking lot in midtown Atlanta to take possession of the firearms. The meeting was recorded by ATF. The CW entered the vehicle that HARRIS was driving and displayed to HARRIS the two silencers and three machine guns that the CW had purchased from the undercover ATF agent on October 10. When the CW explained the function of one silencer, HARRIS said "no flash, no bang." The CW and HARRIS also discussed the selector switch of one of the machine guns, which switches the gun from semi-automatic to fully automatic fire. HARRIS also asked the CW for "change leftover" from the $12,000 that he provided the CW to purchase the firearms.

HARRIS was arrested without incident. A subsequent search of the vehicle located three other firearms, including one loaded gun tucked between the driver's seat where HARRIS had been sitting and the center console.

Shortly after the arrest, ATF agents executed a federal search warrant for HARRIS' house at 429 Creekview Lane in College Park. In a walk-in closet in HARRIS' bedroom, the agents found six more firearms (three rifles, two pistols, and a revolver), including three of the guns that the CW had said he purchased for and delivered to HARRIS in September. Five of the six guns were loaded.

Members of the public are reminded that the criminal complaint only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government's burden to prove the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is being investigated by Special Agents of the ATF, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service, the Atlanta Police Department, the Fulton County Police Department, and the Fulton County Sheriff's Department.

Assistant United States Attorneys Francey Hakes and Todd Alley are prosecuting the case.

http://www.tmz.com/2007/1...-i-arrest/

daPrettyman said:

Well after getting into fights with rappers' bodyguards and cheating on his baby's mama and getting into beefs with Ludacris for some odd reason, I don't think we can consider Clifford "normal".

Timmy84 said:

Don't forget how he sonned poor Tony Yayo on national TV. It's not nice embarrassing the mentally challenged:

bboy87 said:

Lord, I remember that. I heard Fiddy and 'em wanted to beat TI up during the ceremony. That's why he looked like he was mean-mugging when he did his shake hands bit.

there's been a recent increase in the use of the word "nigga" or variations of it that i'm just not really comfortable with. just saying....

bboy87 said:

He's a HUMAN! He hasn't had talent in YEARS! Anyone who messes with T.I. has to anSWER to ME!

bboy87 said:

The Anti-Mudbone.

most shocking - he has SIX albums??

sosgemini said:

It can only be kids that would be talking about this kinda person..unfortunately this generation have been raised to accept sillyness like this..

CalhounSq said:

no


that his name is "CLIFFORD"


WTH?

and agreed SOS

Rhondab said:

& yes, AGREED...

damn i'm sorry, but i'm just confused by this arrest. other rappers when they get arrested, it's like yeah okay just another one biting the dust, but this one...i'm scratching my head on.

Another Mutha fuckin rapper "KEEPING IT REAL.....IGNORANT!"

missfee said:

They said he bought a bunch of AK, machine guns and other weapons.

big thangs poppin little thangs stoppin?