Rapper TI arrested in case of mistaken identity while at Atlanta airport

The three-time Grammy winner apparently shared his name with a man wanted in Baltimore

Rapper TI, known offstage as Clifford Harris, at an awards dinner in Juen 2024. He was arrested at an Atlanta airport in a case of mistaken identity. (Getty Images for BET)

The rapper TI was arrested in Georgia on an out-of-state warrant – only to be released when police realized they had got the wrong man.

Atlanta authorities believed they had found the Clifford Harris wanted in Baltimore for stalking and violent behavior towards a woman when they handcuffed TI, known offstage as Clifford Joseph Harris Jr, at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Sunday night.

But the Baltimore warrant had no connection to TI and was issued for a completely different man with a similar name, according to TMZ.

TI's lawyer Steve Sadow confirmed the details of the case to The Independent, and police records showed that a Clifford Joseph Harris Jr was arrested at 6:19pm Sunday.

The 43-year-old Grammy winner, who was born and raised in Atlanta, has had a long history of skirmishes with the law dating back to his teenage years, ranging from drug convictions in Georgia to a bicycle-related infraction in Amsterdam. He also had a $75,000 settlement with US financial regulators over allegedly fraudulent crypto promotions.

In recent years, more than 30 women have reportedly accused TI of raping or sexually assaulting them, though no criminal charges have ever arisen from the claims.

Last year one of those women filed a lawsuit against TI and his wife Tameka 'Tiny' Harris, accusing them of drugging and raping her after meeting her at a nightclub in Los Angeles around 2005.

Both TI and his wife have strongly denied all those allegations, saying they were "innocent of these fake claims" and "will not be shaken down".