G-Unit Rappers Cleared in Weapons Case

Prosecutors drop felony gun possession charges against Young Buck and Lloyd Banks after determining the weapons were not in their possession at the time of their arrest last year

By Natalie Finn Nov 09, 2006 4:20 AMTags

The D.A. has passed the Buck. 

Felony gun possession charges leveled at G-Unit rappers Young Buck and Lloyd Banks were dropped Wednesday, after Manhattan prosecutors determined the weapons in question did not belong to them. 

Rapper-actor 50 Cent's cronies were arrested in August 2005, after a van they were riding in with several other men ran a red light. Police said they spotted two weapons, including a loaded handgun, in the vehicle.  

Banks, born Chris Lloyde, and Buck, whose real name is David Brown, had just left Madison Square Garden, where they made an appearance on Eminem's Anger Management 3 tour. 

One suspect has pleaded guilty in the case, a District Attorney's office spokesperson said, and another has been indicted. 

"This whole experience reminds me of the title of my new album, Rotten Apple," Banks, 24, said in a statement. 

The experience might remind Brown, 25, however, of the last time he crossed the wrong side of the law. Last December, the Straight Outta Cashville purveyor pleaded no contest to a felony charge for stabbing the man who assaulted Dr. Dre at the 2004 Vibe Awards. 

Upon closer review of a video from the incident, it turned out Brown was brandishing a fork and a charge of assault with a deadly weapon was dropped. The Nashville native was sentenced to three years' probation and 80 hours of community service on a lesser charge of assault with intent to commit bodily harm. 

Brown's second solo album, Buck Tha World, is due out in February. Banks is a guest rapper, along with 50 Cent, T.I., Young Jeezy and Snoop Dogg.