Gilbert Arenas struggled to stay out of trouble during his NBA career and now he’s back at it again. The former Washington Wizards star must have been preparing for a huge July 4th extravaganza when he got pulled over early Thursday morning.
The 31-year-old was arrested in Los Angeles while speeding in his Ford pickup with a truck bed full of illegal fireworks, according to a report by TMZ.com . In response to the large amount of fireworks, the Los Angeles Police Department’s bomb squad was even called into action.
The report states that Arenas was going 80 miles per hour which led police to pull him over at around 2:30 a.m. PDT. TMZ also noted that he was charged with misdemeanor possession before being released around 7 a.m. PDT on Thursday morning.
This isn’t Arenas’ first spat with trouble as he was also arrested in 2010 for gun possession after pulling out a loaded pistol in the Wizards’ locker room. The pistol led to a felony charge, but Gilbert Arenas eventually reached an agreement on a plea deal.
The deal included a two-year probation sentence along with 30 days in a halfway house. He would go on to return to the NBA and play for the Orlando Magic during the 2010-11 season before moving on to the Memphis Grizzlies the following year.
His most recent stint in professional basketball came with the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association. He signed with the Sharks in November of 2012 and has remained with the team ever since.
Being back in Los Angeles always has its perks, but it can also get you in a lot of trouble, especially if you’re carry a full load of illegal fireworks in the back of your truck. Going 80 miles per hour probably didn’t help his case that much either.
Do you think Gilbert Arenas has gone downhill ever since his gun incident with the Washington Wizards?
[Image via Keith Allison ]