Jania Ashlynn
Renowned comedian Mike Epps was caught with a revolver and ammunition at the Indianapolis International Airport on Sunday.
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According to the details shared in the airport police report, Epps was in town for the first show of his national comedy tour. The Smith & Wesson was discovered while he was in the TSA checkpoint with a .38-caliber.
Discoveries
An authority officer at the airport got a call about a possible firearm inside the backpack on the screening table. Epps said that he forgot that the weapon was in his bag. The .38 caliber was loaded with four rounds of Hornady special ammo.
The dispatch team at the airport did a weapons check, the police obtained the gun, didn’t arrest Epps, and provided information about how to get the gun back. All information about the incident was submitted to the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office and they will decide if charges are going to be filed.
Aftermath
A spokesperson for local law authorities, Michael Leffler, said that the prosecutor’s office is reviewing the case. “These matters rarely result in criminal charges,” Leffler stated.
“I think it is important to note that the burden of proof required by statute and case law requires you to prove whether an individual knowingly or intentionally brought the firearm,” he continued. “Generally speaking, the most common circumstance is that firearms located by TSA or airport police are unintentionally left in bags.”
In the past year, the Transportation Security Administration collected 6,542 guns in airports around the country. This is a record number. The most popular excuse for the discovery of firearms at airport checkpoints is that they were forgotten.
