Triangle area rapper Moses Barrett III - better known by his stage name, Petey Pablo - was arrested Saturday morning at RDU International Airport after allegedly trying to carry a 9mm automatic pistol aboard a US Airways flight bound for Los Angeles.

Barrett, 37, of 205 Caribbean Court, Knightdale, told an airport police officer that he had forgotten the weapon was in his carry-on luggage, said RDU spokeswoman Mindy Hamlin.

Barrett was convicted of armed robbery in 1993 and served six years of a 14-year prison sentence.

He was charged Saturday with possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of a stolen gun and carrying a concealed weapon. An airport police officer wrote in the arrest warrant that Barrett knew the Smith & Wesson Model 639 had been reported stolen.

Barrett, whose hits include "Raise Up" and the raunchy "Freek-a-Leek," told the officer he was en route to the MTV Video Music Awards show, said a magistrate. The show is Sunday in Los Angeles.

He was released on a $50,000 bond about an hour after he was brought to the Wake County magistrate's office.

jay.price@newsobserver.com or 919-829-4526