Atlanta rapper T.I. was whisked out of a downtown nightspot around midnight Wednesday to keep him away from an altercation — and out of trouble with court monitors, his attorney said this morning.

T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris Jr., was making a court-approved, paid appearance from 10:30 p.m. until 12:30 a.m. at an event at the Luckie Food Lounge on Luckie Street when some sort of incident occurred, said Steve Sadow, one of Harris' attorneys. He could not provide details on what exactly happened.

File

Clifford Harris Jr.

MORE ON T.I. • Photos: Guns in the case • T.I. falls hard and fast • Timeline leading to arrest • Read complaint (PDF) • Explainer: The weapons FROM ACCESS ATLANTA • Photos: T.I. speaks to kids in Lithonia • Photos: Musical performances

Harris was not a part of the incident, Sadow said, nor did he witness it. But as soon as something began to happen, the rapper's court-ordered monitor and a security person got him out of the club. Sadow said.

An Atlanta police department spokesman said officers responded to an incident at the club, but more details were not immediately available. A manager at the Luckie Food Lounge, who declined to give her name, said she had no comment about the incident.

Last fall Harris was caught buying machine guns and silencers in an undercover sting and arrested just hours before he was to receive two BET Hip-Hop Awards in Atlanta.

In March, Harris struck a plea deal that allows him to stay out of jail for the next year while performing community service telling kids about the importance of respecting the law. Earlier Wednesday, Harris spoke to about 100 young people at Browns Mill Recreation Center in Lithonia.

Under the deal, he pleaded guilty to two charges of illegally possessing firearms and another of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

If Harris abides by the terms of the plea agreement, he'll receive a prison sentence next March of one year and a day, but likely will serve less than that. Without the deal he had faced a minimum of four years and nine months behind bars.

As part of the deal, Harris has a court-approved monitor who is with him at all times and reports back to federal court officials, Sadow said. The rapper also must adhere to certain curfews. When not working, his curfew is 11 p.m. When he's performing or making a paid or work-related appearance, such as last night's event, the curfew is 1 a.m.

Sadow said that Harris was home by 1 a.m. Thursday and that he did everything that's required of him under his contract with both the federal court and the government. Sadow said he doesn't expect any adverse consequences for the rapper as a result of an incident.