New information has surfaced about Erica Banks, identified legally as Erica Breaux, after she was taken into custody in Georgia earlier this week. Reports confirm that the rapper was arrested on December 8 following an encounter with Brookhaven police in the middle of the afternoon. Officers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle traveling along Buford Highway, and Banks was sitting in the passenger seat when police initiated the stop.
While CBS News notes that authorities have not fully explained “what led to the traffic stop and circumstances of the arrest,” additional outlets have offered more context. According to TMZ, officers were alerted to the vehicle because the dealer plates were obscured by a tinted tag, which raised suspicion. The situation reportedly escalated once police learned the car had been reported stolen. The driver, said to be Amani Dirton, was ordered out of the vehicle along with Banks.
Banks was later detained on a felony controlled-substance charge. Records indicate she was hit with “possession of a Schedule or II controlled substance with intent to distribute,” and TMZ reports that officers located ecstasy inside her purse during the search. Marijuana allegedly found on Dirton resulted in additional charges for the driver. Dirton is now accused of “theft by receiving stolen property, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, and [improperly] displayed license plate.”
The arrest comes only months after Banks faced a different legal issue at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. During that August incident, she was detained after security discovered a firearm in her belongings. Banks reportedly told police she did not realize the gun was in her possession. A later search determined that the weapon had been stolen, leading to a charge of “theft by receiving stolen property.”
Leave a Reply