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Dennis Farina, who starred as Det. Joe Fontana on
Law & Order from 2002 to 2006, was booked in a felony case after a loaded handgun was found in his briefcase as he was about to board a plane at the Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday. Unlike his police character on the NBC long-running series, the 64-year-old actor had no permit to carry the pistol.
While Farina was often depicted onscreen as a foul-mouthed mobster or cop, he was remorseful when he told airport police and FBI agents that he had forgotten he put the .22-caliber semi-automatic weapon in the case. The actor spent most of the day in a Van Nuys jail and was released Sunday night on $35,000 bail.
"He was apologetic and very cooperative, and he said he understood what was going to happen," LAX Police Sgt. Jim Holcomb said. "People don't get it. When you go to an airport, the only people that can carry a gun are federal agents."
Shortly after his arrest, Farina issued an apology.
''I apologize to anyone and everyone that I have caused any embarrassment or inconvenience to,'' the former
Law & Order actor said in a statement. ''It is my own stupidity to find myself in this embarrassing situation.''
Farina began his work in show business working for director Michael Mann as a police consultant. This led to an interest in acting when Mann cast him in a small role in the 1981 film
Thief. Farina continued his work as an actor in the Chicago theater scene before Mann chose him for his
Crime Story series. He also played the mobster Albert Lombard in Mann's other television show
Miami Vice.
After his two-year stint on
Law & Order, Farina mostly pursued film projects, including the comedy
What Happens in Vegas. Last month, it was confirmed that he will serve as the new host of
Unsolved Mysteries when it returns to television with a new five season run on Spike TV in October.
-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source:
The Associated Press
(Image courtesy of The Associated Press)