Overview

• TSA agents at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport discovered a loaded .380 mm Smith & Wesson pistol in Banks’ Louis Vuitton carry-on during an X-ray screening on August 6.
• Authorities traced the firearm’s serial number to a 2018 theft in Greenville, South Carolina, triggering a felony theft by receiving stolen property charge.
• Banks was booked into Clayton County Jail and released on bond just over an hour after her arrest.
• Attorney Jackie Patterson has filed a motion to dismiss the charges, arguing that Banks had no knowledge of the gun’s stolen origin.
• As she awaits her first court appearance, the case highlights Georgia’s strict liability for possessing stolen items and potential repercussions for her rising music career.