Loaded gun seized from actor Mike Epps at Indianapolis airport

Actor Mike Epps had a loaded handgun inside his backpack as he tried to travel out of Indianapolis International Airport over the weekend, prompting federal agents to seize the weapon, officials said.

Epps, who was not arrested, told the Transportation Security Administration during the incident Sunday that he forgot the Smith & Wesson .38-caliber pistol was inside his bag, according to airport police.

The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office will review whether to charge the 52-year-old Epps, who is from Indianapolis.

“These matters rarely result in criminal charges,” said Michael Leffler, a spokesman for the prosecutor’s office.

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

It was not immediately known where Epps was traveling Sunday or if he was alone. He has not publicly commented on the incident.

Epps currently stars as the family patriarch on the Netflix sitcom “The Upshaws” and is known for the early 2000s comedy films “Next Friday” and “Friday After Next.” He’s also appeared in multiple “Resident Evil” and “The Hangover” movies, and was cast in the Marvel film “Madame Web,” due out next February.

The TSA confiscated 6,542 guns at U.S. airports in 2022, the most of any year ever.

“What we see in our checkpoints really reflects what we’re seeing in society, and in society there are more people carrying firearms nowadays,” TSA administrator David Pekoske said last month.

With News Wire Services