Former NBA player Gilbert Arenas was arrested early Thursday morning in Sherman Oaks, Calif., for misdemeanor possession of fireworks. He was pulled over because he was speeding, and he did not have a valid California driver’s license.
West Valley CHP public information officer Leland Tang tells Larry Brown Sports that the former Washington Wizards star was traveling west on the 101 freeway at about 2:30 a.m. Tang says Arenas was driving about 80 mph on the freeway, where the speed limit is 65. He was pulled over for speeding just past Coldwater Canyon and exited at Woodman Ave.
Officers observed the entire bed of Arenas’ truck filled to the edge with “big, huge boxes of fireworks.” The officers approached Arenas and saw that the cab of his four-door Ford F150 truck was also filled with fireworks. Officers questioned Arenas, but he would not say where he got the fireworks. LAPD bombsquad was called to handle the fireworks and take possession of the explosives.
Arenas was transported to Van Nuys jail where he was booked, fingerprinted and released. He faces misdemeanor possession of fireworks within the LA city limits.
Though Arenas lives in Hidden Hills, he does not possess a valid California driver’s license.
Arenas lived in the DC-area while playing for the Washington Wizards from 2003-2010. The Los Angeles native spent last season in China with the Shanghai Sharks.
A three-time NBA All-Star from 2005-2007 and fan favorite, Arenas’ career went awry following multiple knee surgeries and a locker room gun incident involving a teammate.
I’m guessing Arenas bought the fireworks from Chinatown in Downtown LA and was heading back home to the west valley when he was picked up for speeding. And how dumb can you get? If you don’t have a license and are driving with illegal fireworks, why in the world would you also be speeding?
News of Arenas’ arrest was first reported by TMZ.
[Note: Arenas’ outfit pictured at the top was from a previous Halloween costume, not what he was wearing during the arrest]
