Pat Dollard

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Dennis Farina, Left

Former “Law and Order” actor Dennis Farina has been arrested and booked on a felony charge after screeners at Los Angeles International Airport found a loaded handgun in a briefcase he tried to take on board a flight to Chicago.

Police said the 64-year-old actor, a former Chicago police officer, told them he forgot that he had placed the .22-caliber gun in the case.

Farina was originally arrested Sunday morning on a misdemeanor charge of attempting to take a weapon onto a plane, said airport Police Sgt. Jim Holcomb. After officers learned the gun was not registered, the charge was increased to a felony, Holcomb said.

“He was apologetic and very cooperative, and he said he understood what was going to happen,” Holcomb said.

Farina was booked into a Van Nuys jail. His bail has been set at $25,000.

Holcomb said Farina told investigators he put the gun in the case before driving to Los Angeles from Arizona for the United Airlines flight to Chicago.

The veteran actor has starred in several films, including “Get Shorty” and “Saving Private Ryan.” He served 19 years with the Chicago Police Department.