Mr. E!
05-29-2006, 04:31 AM
I'm a basketball player!
Two Washington Wizards players arrested on South Beach
The Associated Press
Posted May 28 2006, 4:12 PM EDT
MIAMI BEACH, Fla.--Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas and forward Awvee Storey were arrested on charges of disobeying police, part of the crackdown on disorderly behavior among those who have flocked to Miami Beach for Memorial Day weekend.
Storey had been blocking traffic in the middle of a busy street when an officer told him to get back to the sidewalk Saturday night, according to police reports. Storey did not get out of the street, and the officer arrested him and charged him with failure to obey a command.
While police were arresting Storey, Arenas got out of a vehicle and walked toward the arresting officers. According to reports, an officer told Arenas to get back in his vehicle, but he refused, saying he wanted to stand next to his teammate. The officer took Arenas into custody and charged him with resisting without violence.
As Arenas was being arrested, according to reports, he said, ``You can't arrest me. I'm a basketball player. I play for the Washington Wizards, and I'm not going to leave my teammate.''
Both players were then taken to jail for processing.
The Wizards released a statement saying, ``We are aware of the situation and, until we have more information, we will have no comment.''
A total of 557 people were arrested between Thursday morning and Saturday night on Miami Beach, where revelers flocked for a celebration of hip-hop music and culture known as Urban Beach Week. Most arrests were for disorderly conduct and intoxication. During the same three-day period last year, there were 333 arrests.
``We're definitely over from last year,'' Miami Beach police spokesman Bobby Hernandez said. ``We're working a lot more plainclothes officers, so you're obviously going to make more arrests.''
Hernandez said people are less likely to break the law when they see officers in uniform.
A total of 600 officers from local, state and federal agencies have been patrolling Miami Beach, Hernandez said.
In 2001, a massive yet unexpected crowd caught the city by surprise. Police struggled with crowd control, and unruly behavior was prevalent. After that, the city developed a major events plan to deal with the Memorial Day parties.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-0528wizardsarrest,0,1362955.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines
Two Washington Wizards players arrested on South Beach
The Associated Press
Posted May 28 2006, 4:12 PM EDT
MIAMI BEACH, Fla.--Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas and forward Awvee Storey were arrested on charges of disobeying police, part of the crackdown on disorderly behavior among those who have flocked to Miami Beach for Memorial Day weekend.
Storey had been blocking traffic in the middle of a busy street when an officer told him to get back to the sidewalk Saturday night, according to police reports. Storey did not get out of the street, and the officer arrested him and charged him with failure to obey a command.
While police were arresting Storey, Arenas got out of a vehicle and walked toward the arresting officers. According to reports, an officer told Arenas to get back in his vehicle, but he refused, saying he wanted to stand next to his teammate. The officer took Arenas into custody and charged him with resisting without violence.
As Arenas was being arrested, according to reports, he said, ``You can't arrest me. I'm a basketball player. I play for the Washington Wizards, and I'm not going to leave my teammate.''
Both players were then taken to jail for processing.
The Wizards released a statement saying, ``We are aware of the situation and, until we have more information, we will have no comment.''
A total of 557 people were arrested between Thursday morning and Saturday night on Miami Beach, where revelers flocked for a celebration of hip-hop music and culture known as Urban Beach Week. Most arrests were for disorderly conduct and intoxication. During the same three-day period last year, there were 333 arrests.
``We're definitely over from last year,'' Miami Beach police spokesman Bobby Hernandez said. ``We're working a lot more plainclothes officers, so you're obviously going to make more arrests.''
Hernandez said people are less likely to break the law when they see officers in uniform.
A total of 600 officers from local, state and federal agencies have been patrolling Miami Beach, Hernandez said.
In 2001, a massive yet unexpected crowd caught the city by surprise. Police struggled with crowd control, and unruly behavior was prevalent. After that, the city developed a major events plan to deal with the Memorial Day parties.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-0528wizardsarrest,0,1362955.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines