NYC Gun Charges Against G-Unit Rappers Dropped

NEW YORK – Felony gun possession charges against G-Unit rappers Lloyd Banks and Young Buck, arrested last year following a concert at Madison Square Garden, were dropped Wednesday at the request of prosecutors.

"This whole experience reminds me of the title of my new album — `Rotten Apple,"' Banks, whose real name is Chris Lloyde, said in a statement.

Police said Lloyde and Young Buck, whose real name is David Brown, were riding in a van with several other men in August 2005 when it ran a red light in midtown Manhattan. Officers said they discovered a loaded handgun and another weapon in the van.

Lloyde and Brown had just performed at Madison Square Garden on the "Anger Management 3" tour starring Eminem and 50 Cent, another member of G-Unit.

Prosecutors asked a judge to dismiss the charges after an investigation determined the neither Lloyde, 24, nor Brown, 25, had possessed the guns, said Barbara Thompson, spokeswoman for Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau.

Thompson said one suspect has pleaded guilty in the case; another remains under indictment.

In December 2005, Brown pleaded no contest to a felony in the stabbing of a man during a melee at the 2004 Vibe Awards show. He was sentenced to three years' probation.