Rapper Detained in Case of Mistaken Identity

BUCKHEAD, GA -- An Atlanta rapper was briefly detained by police on Friday after an eyewitnesses mistakenly identified him as the man who tried to cash a forged check at a bank in Buckhead.

Officers were dispatched to the Wells Fargo at 3235 Peachtree Road after someone called 911 and reported someone was trying to cash a bogus check for $24,000.

“The description of the male provided to police was limited and conflicting,” police spokesman Warren Pickard said.

Police monitoring the bank’s surveillance cameras notified officers on the ground of a possible suspect inside a car in the parking lot. The car was stopped and its occupants were briefly detained, Pickard said.

Sam Benson, also known as Blac Youngsta, was one of the people detained by police. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports he had just withdrawn $200,000 in cash when he was stopped and cuffed in the parking lot.

Officers quickly determined neither Youngsta nor anyone else in the car had anything to do with the forgery and all were released, Pickard said.

“This incident did not directly involved Blac Youngsta, nor was he accused of committing a crime,” Pickard said.

The actual suspect, 39-year-old Charles Darnell Edward, was arrested at the scene and charged with first degree forgery, according to Pickard.