Just last week, Wizards of Waverly Place alum David Henrie happily announced that he and his wife are expecting their first child. It’s happy news!
Unfortunately, on Monday, David was arrested at LAX after TSA agents noticed that the 29-year-old actor had a loaded gun.
Yikes.
David Henrie starred on The Disney Channel’s Wizards of Waverly Place, playing Justin, the Type-A and straightlaced older brother of Alex, who was played by Selena Gomez.
Now he is 29 years old, married, and his first child is on the way. He and his wife, former Miss Delaware Maria Cahill, are expecting a baby girl.
Unfortunately, he was arrested on Monday, September 10 after bringing a loaded firearm to LAX.
LAX’s Airport Police Public Information Officer tells Us Weekly: “David Henrie was arrested at 9:05 a.m. for possession of a loaded firearm at an airport screening at LAX.”
The statement continues: “He has been booked into the LAPD Pacific Division Jail and will be released on his own recognizance.”
David took to Instagram to issue a heartfelt apology.
“I take responsibility for the situation at LAX today,” David writes. “I unintentionally brought my legally owned gun which is registered in my name to the airport.”
“I am so sorry for any trouble it caused,” David says. “But I am appreciative of TSA’s efforts in implementing the safety laws that are in place to protect our beautiful country.”
David adds: “More than anything I am humiliated and embarrassed that this even happened.”
“But I am thankful to the TSA, LAPD, and all involved today for their kindness and their professionalism during this process,” David concludes.
That is … not the sort of apology that you would normally expect from a celebrity.
Especially not from a celebrity who was just arrested for having a gun in one of the last places where a gun should ever be.
But that apology very much fits David Henrie’s brand — whether he wrote it or a publicist did.
And honestly, it sounds like exactly the sort of calculated, gracious apology that you’d expect from a guy who’s playing a young Ronald Reagan in a film coming out this years.
Think what you will about Reagan’s policies and influence on American politics, but the guy knew how to string words together. Well, until the end.
This arrest came only days after David and Maria had cheerfully announced that they were expecting.
In a short video posted to Instagram, they popped a balloon that doused them with pink glitter.
Pink, though initially associated with men a little over a hundred years ago, later came to be associated with women — so they’re expecting a girl.
Gleefully, David captioned the video: “ITS A GIRL ITS A GIRL ITS A GIRL. Im a Poppa!!!!!!!”
He continued: “Im so overwhelmed with joy I had to share this with you guys. I’m already singing ‘I Loved Her First."”
David Henrie is Italian, though he played a latino character on Wizards of Waverly Place. Television casting was once even less woke than it is now.
It wasn’t that long ago that he, a devout Catholic, had the opportunity to meet pope Francis, which was a thrilling moment for him.
Honestly, though we absolutely believe in serious consequences for serious crimes, since David did not hurt anyone or intend to hurt anyone, we hope that he’s able to get through this scandal.
By which we mean that we hope that the consequences are more along the lines of not being allowed to own a firearm for a while, rather than being put on a do-not-fly list.
We should note that this incident is a great example of the TSA managing to effectively do its job.
Here’s a great packing tip for everyone who is preparing to fly: leave your gun safely secured at home.
