Texas rapper Erica Banks was reportedly arrested and faces charges after being found with a stolen gun at an Atlanta airport.
According to local outlet Fox 5 Atlanta, the “Buss It” rapper, real name Erica Scharmane Breaux, was preparing to board a flight to Houston on Wednesday night (Aug. 6) when she was stopped at a checkpoint because a .380 mm handgun was found in her Louis Vuitton bag.
The accessory was placed on the conveyor belt and scanned through the X-ray machine. Banks denied being aware that she was carrying the gun, a black Smith & Wesson.
An officer reportedly ran a background check on the weapon and found that it was stolen in 2018 in Greensville, South Carolina. The Love & Hip-Hop Atlanta star claimed that the gun belonged to her “security” but refused to give a name before she was taken to Clayton County Jail.
Banks, who was released a few hours later, now faces a charge of theft by receiving stolen property.
The rapper has since hired “The Fly Lawyer,” Jackie Patterson, according to WSB-TV 2 Atlanta.
“It is our contention that when she was caught with this weapon, she had no idea it was stolen,” Patterson told the news station. “So she is not guilty of any offense. And once we get to court on this case my job is to make sure this never becomes a part of her criminal history and to have these charges dismissed.”
Banks has been a cast member on Love & Hip-Hop Atlanta since season 11. The rapper’s last album, Cocky on Purpose 2, was released in 2024.
