The Hangover star Mike Epps has loaded gun seized by airport police

The Hangover star Mike Epps was stopped by airport police after a loaded gun was found in his possession.

Federal agents confiscated a loaded gun found in the hand luggage of the actor and comedian, who was trying to board a flight at Indianapolis International Airport, airport police said.

On Sunday (5 March) morning, Transportation Security Administration officers discovered a Smith & Wesson .38-caliber pistol inside Epps’s backpack, according to airport police.

The firearm was loaded with four rounds of Hornady .38 Special ammo, but none was under the firing pin, the police report said.

Epps, 52, told agents at the TSA checkpoint that he had forgotten he had the weapon in his bag.

Agents seized the weapon but did not arrest Epps. Airport officials did not say where Epps was flying to or if he was travelling alone. The TSA forwarded the case to the Marion County prosecutor’s office to consider if charges are necessary.

Spokesman Michael Leffler said on Wednesday (8 March) that the prosecutor's office is reviewing the case.

“These matters rarely result in criminal charges,” Leffler said.

“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 added. “Generally speaking, the most common circumstance is that firearms located by TSA or airport police are unintentionally left in bags.”

The Independent has contacted Epps’s representatives for comment.

In addition to his role in the fan-favourite 2009 comedy as “Black Doug”, Epps, an Indianapolis native, has starred in movies including The House Next Door: Meet the Blacks 2, Next Friday and Friday After Next.

He appears in the forthcoming Marvel movie Madame Web starring Dakota Johnson, and the Natalie Portman-led Apple TV Plus miniseries Lady in the Lake.

Additional reporting by Associated Press