A South Florida rapper who goes by "Stitches" is facing charges after officers found a gun and a jar of marijuana in his car when he was stopped for parking in a handicapped spot in Miami Beach, authorities said.
"Stitches," whose real name is Phillip Katsabanis, was arrested Wednesday on charges of carrying a concealed firearm, possession of cannabis and possession of a drug without a prescription, according to a Miami Beach Police arrest report.
Katsabanis, 21, was booked into jail and later released. Attorney information wasn't immediately available.
According to the arrest report, officers responded to the Whole Foods at 1020 Alton Road Wednesday afternoon to a report of a Porsche in a handicap parking space without a decal. An officer stopped the car and asked the driver, Katsabanis, if there were any firearms in the car, and he replied no but handed the officer a "rolled up slightly burnt marijuana joint" and said "sorry officer," the report said.
When police searched the car they found a Glock handgun under the driver's seat and a clear mason jar full of marijuana, the report said.
Katsabanis said he had been startled by the officers and thought they had asked if he had a firearm on his person, and said he always carries a firearm in his car for protection, the report said. He apologized for denying he had a firearm, the report said.
Katsabanis was arrested and the firearm along with two magazines, one with 15 bullets and the other with 31 bullets, were impounded. During his arrest officers found an oxycodone pill in his pocket without a valid prescription, the report said.
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Stitches is known for his distinctive face tattoos and for his 2014 song "Brick in Yo Face."
