A champion boxer was arrested at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport Thursday morning after he tried to check an unloaded gun, the Queens district attorney said Thursday.
Robert Guerrero, the current WBC welterweight champ who is scheduled to face Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas on May 4, was checking in at a ticket counter in Terminal 2 at about 7 a.m. and told the agent he had an unloaded gun on him, according to his manager, Luis Decubas Jr.
Decubas, who was with Guerrero when Port Authority arrested him, said he and his client were unaware it's illegal to possess an unloaded gun in New York City, and they had planned to check it with their baggage before boarding their flight.
The DA said Guerrero told authorities he had the gun, a Smith and Wesson .40-caliber handgun, with him in New York City since he arrived on Monday.
Guerrero is charged with one count of criminal possession of a weapon and three counts of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon. He faces up to four years in prison.
"If a passenger chooses to travel with a weapon, they should first acquaint themselves with the weapon laws of the jurisdiction that they are visiting and comply with any and all legal requirements," Queens DA Richard Brown said. "Otherwise, they may find themselves being arrested and charged with a felony – as is what occurred in this case.”
Guerrero was released on his own recognizance and is due back in court May 14.
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