NEW YORK (AP) – A Manhattan parking lot shooting early Tuesday left rapper Fabolous wounded and under arrest after police found two loaded weapons in a car carrying him and his entourage, authorities said.

The 28-year-old Brooklyn rapper, whose legal name is John Jackson, was in police custody after being treated at Bellevue Hospital for a gunshot wound to the thigh.

Jackson and his three companions told police that they had just left Justin’s, a soul food restaurant owned by rap mogul Sean Combs, shortly after midnight when they were accosted in a nearby lot by a gunman, who fired and ran away.

The foursome jumped into a 2005 Dodge Magnum and took off, attracting the attention of police when they ran a red light. Officers stopped them and discovered two semiautomatic pistols in the vehicle, both apparently unlicensed, police said.

Each of the men was arrested and charged with criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a defaced firearm, police said. The other men police arrested are Kevin Bass, 18, Percell German, 23, and Rascharm Davis, 29, all of Brooklyn.

All four deny ownership of the weapons.

Jackson’s lawyer, Alberto A. Ebanks, called his client a victim and said he didn’t know why police held him.

“Everyone knows he’s the victim,” Ebanks said. “He’s been shot. I don’t know why he’s under arrest. Obviously he didn’t shoot anyone.”

A 2007 Cadillac Escalade, registered to Jackson’s production company, was found parked in the same lot with apparent gunshot damage to the windshield, police said.

An e-mail and phone call seeking comment from a representative at Def Jam Recordings on Tuesday were not immediately returned. The label is producing the rapper’s upcoming solo album, due out in December, according to Fabolous’ Web page on MySpace.com.

The rapper’s hits have included, “Breathe” and “Can’t Deny It,” and his songs cover topics ranging from romance to street life and violence. He most recently took part in the taping of the VH1 Hip Hop Honors, which were to air Tuesday evening.

New York has been the site of several shootings involving hip-hop stars over the years, many unsolved.

An e-mail seeking comment from a representative at Def Jam Recordings was not immediately returned early Tuesday. The label is producing the rapper’s upcoming solo album, due out in December, according to Fabolous’ Web page on MySpace.com.