TI was just trying to live his life, but a case of mistaken identity got him into trouble with the law.
The 43-year-old rapper, who was born Clifford Joseph Harris Jr., was arrested at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport on Sunday, August 4, after police mistook him for another man also named Clifford Harris, The Washington Post confirmed.
The other, Clifford Harris, had an outstanding arrest warrant in Baltimore, Maryland. TMZ reportsThe media added that the man is wanted on suspicion of violence against women, stalking and firearms-related incidents.
T.I. was handcuffed at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport and then transported to the Clayton County Jail in Atlanta.
Because the warrant was issued from out of state, an extradition hearing was automatically initiated.
But before the extradition proceedings could go any further, T.I.’s lawyers allegedly stepped in. According to TMZ, T.I.’s lawyer, Steve Sadow, immediately called someone at the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office, who had the rapper released within two hours of his arrest.
The judge presiding over the case at the extradition hearing considered TI’s case and summarily dismissed the extradition order.
One of the reasons authorities may have realized Clifford Harris was the wrong man may have been due to their physical characteristics and attributes: According to TMZ, Clifford Harris, who is wanted in Maryland, reportedly weighs 205 pounds, while T.I. weighs 165 pounds.
The Post has reached out to TI’s lawyers for further comment.
TI is inextricably linked to Atlanta. Born and raised in the Georgia capital, he is known as one of the pioneers of trap music, along with other Georgia-based artists like Jeezy and Gucci Mane.
The rapper runs a restaurant in the city called Trap City Cafe. Opening in 2022Sunday, the same day he was wrongly arrested. He posted a video on Instagram The post promoted the restaurant and invited people to come for Sunday Funday brunch and dinner. It is unclear whether TI was at the cafe that day.
TI was also arrested in Amsterdam in 2021 after his bike crashed into a police vehicle. Posted an Instagram video At the time, he explained that he had only been in police custody for 25 minutes.
Prior to this incident, TI was arrested in 2018 and charged with misdemeanor assault, disorderly conduct and public intoxication after security guards denied him entry to a residential area.
