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The recording star, whose legal name is Artis Leon Ivey, 53,
could be sentenced to as much as three years in state prison if
convicted, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office
said in a statement.
Prosecutors said it was illegal for the performer to carry a gun
because of two prior felony convictions - in 2001 for carrying a
concealed weapon in a vehicle and in 2009 for possession of
cocaine base.
The rap artist was scheduled to appear in Los Angeles Superior
Court on Thursday for an arraignment, but the hearing was
postponed until Oct. 26 after his lawyer told the judge that
Coolio was out of state performing, district attorney spokesman
Ricardo Santiago said.
Santiago said a warrant for Coolio's arrest would be issued if
he failed to appear for the later court date.
The rapper's lawyer, Michael Aisen, declined to comment on the
case.
Coolio, a Los Angeles-area native, is perhaps best known for his
1995 Grammy Award-winning hit "Gangsta's Paradise," the No. 1
U.S. chart-topper that year and one of the best-selling singles
of all time.
According to Los Angeles police who arrested Coolio at the
airport, a stolen, loaded pistol was discovered in the rapper's
backpack on the X-ray screening belt as his entourage was going
through security to board a flight en route to a concert.
Another member of the entourage initially claimed ownership of
the bag, but evidence in the backpack directed police to Coolio,
who by then had boarded the plane, and police removed him from
the aircraft, police spokesman Rob Pedregon said.
Pedregon said Coolio acknowledged under questioning that the bag
and the gun were his, but said little else after he was taken
into custody.
Prosecutors said the case remains under investigation by police.
(Reporting by Steve Gorman; Editing by Andrew Hay and Lisa
Shumaker)
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