Federal prosecutors have convened a grand jury to explore an incident in which Washington Wizards All-Star Gilbert Arenas allegedly brandished high-powered handguns in the team locker room, The Examiner has learned.
Arenas and his lawyer, former U.S. Attorney Ken Wainstein, huddled with police and prosecutors Monday afternoon trying to explain the Dec. 21 incident with teammate Javaris Crittenton. There have been conflicting reports about whether the two men faced off in an angry confrontation over gambling debts or whether displaying the weapons was part of a bad joke.
Prosecutors exploring gun charges against the NBA All-Star are pursuing the case through a grand jury, a law enforcement source told The Examiner. The District has rigid gun laws, and Arenas wasn’t licensed to carry the weapons into the District, the source added.
After Monday’s two-hour meeting with prosecutors, Wainstein issued a statement on behalf of the embattled star. It quoted Arenas as saying that he moved four unloaded handguns out of his Virginia home and into his Verizon Center locker to keep them away from his “young kids.”
He said he misinterpreted D.C.’s stringent gun laws and thought it was OK to have unloaded weapons in the locker. He said he displayed the guns Dec. 21 “in a misguided effort to play a joke on a teammate.”
“Joke or not, I now recognize that what I did was a mistake and was wrong,” the statement said. “I am very sorry for the effect that my serious lapse in judgment has had on my team, my teammates, the National Basketball Association and its fans.”
Complicating Arenas’ legal problems is his 2003 arrest on gun charges in California. He was pulled over in San Mateo County after failing to signal a turn. Police found a .40-caliber weapon in the back seat of Arenas’ car and ammunition in the glove box. He later pleaded no contest to misdemeanor weapons charges.
If charges are brought against Arenas, he could face a separate felony count for each handgun, with a maximum of five years in prison on each count.
Team owners have issued a statement saying they were appalled by the incident; the NBA is investigating, and Arenas could face a stiff suspension whether he’s charged with a crime or not.
After a string of high-profile incidents, arrests and brawls, the NBA has taken a harder line against guns. In 2007, league Commissioner David Stern said violence in his sport was “an alarming subject.”
Shortly after the Dec. 21 incident, a staffer on the Wizards’ security team took the handguns out of Arenas’ locker and handed them over to D.C. police.
Wizards » From 1974 to 1996, the Wizards were known as the Bullets. Team owner Abe Pollin changed the name, citing concerns for D.C.’s countless victims of violence.
Other NBA stars to face guns charges
» Delonte West: Pulled over on the Beltway for an illegal lane change on his three-wheeled motorcycle in September 2009, the Cleveland Cavaliers star allegedly was carrying two loaded pistols and a loaded shotgun in a guitar case.
» Aaron McKie: Former journeyman point guard was charged with trying to buy two guns in 2008, despite being under a court-ordered, domestic violence-related ban on buying weapons.
» Sebastian Telfair: Celtics guard arrested on gun charges after being pulled over on the Yonkers highway in New York in 2007.
» Lonnie Baxter: former Chicago Bulls, Wizards and Charlotte Bobcats power forward was jailed in 2006 after the Secret Service found a handgun in the car he was driving — a few blocks from the White House.
» Chris Wilcox: Los Angeles Clippers forward arrested in Howard County in 2005 after police found a .357 revolver, ammunition and spent shell casings in his car.
» Allen Iverson: Former MVP arrested in 2002 after a domestic dispute with wife, charged with 14 crimes, including weapons charges.
» Scottie Pippen: former Chicago Bulls small forward charged with gun possession after his car was towed in 1993 (charges were later dropped).
