<p>Grammy-winning rapper T.I. was arrested Saturday _ just hours before he was to take the stage at the BET Hip-Hop Awards _ in a shopping center parking lot where federal officials said he planned to pick up machine guns and silencers he had his bodyguard buy for him.</p><p>The arrest resulted from an investigation that began this month when a federal firearms dealer contacted the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives about a man inquiring about buying a machine gun without registering the weapon as required, according to a criminal complaint filed Saturday in U.S. District Court in Atlanta.</p><p>T.I., born Clifford Harris, is charged with possession of unregistered machine guns and silencers, as well as possession of firearms by a convicted felon. Harris is in federal custody, said U.S. attorney's office spokesman Patrick Crosby, who would not disclose his location.</p><p>After attempting to purchase several machine guns from an undercover ATF agent, the unnamed individual _ who said he had been working as a bodyguard for Harris since July 2007 _ was arrested and began cooperating with the government and said that he was buying the machine guns and silencers for Harris. According to the bodyguard, he had purchased approximately nine firearms for Harris and the rapper had given him cash to buy guns on four different occasions.</p><p>Harris allegedly brokered the deals through the bodyguard because he is a convicted felon. It is a violation of federal law for a convicted felon to have another person purchase or acquire firearms on their behalf.</p><p>According to federal authorities, on Wednesday, T.I. arranged for the bodyguard to pick up $12,000 in cash from a SunTrust Bank in Atlanta and to use the funds to purchase machine guns for Harris. The next day, the two agreed to meet on Saturday to exchange the cash for the weapons. T.I. has had additional arrests and at least one probation violation for unlawfully possessing firearms, authorities said.</p><p>After his arrest in the shopping center parking lot, shortly after 2 p.m. on Saturday, agents found three firearms in the vehicle T.I. was driving, including a loaded firearm between the driver's seat and center console, according to the complaint.</p><p>As the BET Hip-Hop Awards were being taped in Atlanta on Saturday night, federal authorities were still executing a search warrant at T.I.'s home. He was expected to perform at the show and was nominated in nine categories.</p><p>Special agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives began searching the home at approximately 2:40 p.m. Saturday at the East Point residence about 15 miles southwest of the city.</p><p>According to the complaint, agents found six guns in a walk-in closet in Harris' bedroom _ including three allegedly purchased by the bodyguard for him last month. Agents said that five of the firearms were loaded.</p><p>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.</p><p>No one besides law enforcement was present in the home during the search.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>Rapper KRS-One, who received BET's "I am Hip Hop" Icon Award during Saturday night's show, learned about the raid just before he arrived at the red carpet.</p><p>"The T.I. situation is unfortunate," he told The Associated Press. "I hope that can be rectified quickly."</p><p>KRS-One, whose real name is Lawrence Parker, said the fellow rapper's legal woes should not reflect on the industry as a whole.</p><p>"I'm saddened anytime I hear of a hip-hopper being locked up or somehow stunted in his life or his growth," he said. "I hope he wasn't into nothing crazy."</p><p>Rap producer Jermaine Dupri was among those who learned of T.I.'s absence while walking the red carpet.</p><p>"I heard something, but I didn't get a chance to find out," he said. "That's sad, though."</p><p>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. Next month, he has a role opposite Academy Award-winners Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe in "American Gangster," set to be released Nov. 2.</p><p>T.I. was also a spokesman for Chevrolet, where he rapped and raced alongside All-American NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt, Jr.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>_____</p><p>On the Net:</p><p>HASH(0x2df16f0)</p><p>Associated Press writers Jason Bronis in East Point and Jonathan Landrum Jr. in Atlanta contributed to this report.</p>
