National
‘Vegas’ Star Dennis Farina Arrested for Packing Heat at LAX
By Adam Higgins

May 13, 2008

Dennis Farina

What Happens in Vegas might well stay in Vegas, but as the film’s star Dennis Farina found early Sunday, what happens at Los Angeles International Airport is sometimes a matter for the authorities.  

The 64-year-old ex police officer told authorities he had forgotten he was carrying a loaded, .22 caliber, semiautomatic pistol in his carry on bag. Authorities caught the actor trying to bring the gun on the plane on a United Airlines flight bound for Chicago.  

Initially charged with a misdemeanor, the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting the charge was upgraded to a felony because the gun was not registered.  

Farina was apparently apologetic, telling officers he was a retired police officer and had forgotten the gun was in his briefcase on a drive from his Arizona home to Los Angeles.  

The former Law & Order star was booked on suspicion of carrying a concealed weapon and for carrying a loaded firearm in a public place. According to the Sun-Times, bail was set at $35,000.  

Farina is the star of several smash hit films, including Get Shorty and Out of Sight.