Gilbert Arenas just got charged with felony gun possession after “joking around” with 4 of his handguns in the Wizards locker room with teammate Javaris Crittenton. CBS Sports reports:
Prosecutors charged Arenas with one count of carrying a pistol without a license, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. The charges were filed in D.C. Superior Court in an “information,” a document that often signals a plea deal.
Arenas’ lawyer and the Wizards had no immediate comment.
Arenas, who has been suspended indefinitely by the NBA pending the investigation, has said he kept multiple guns in his locker at the Verizon Center. The three-time NBA All-Star said he wanted to keep them away from his children and didn’t know what he was doing is illegal.
He says he took them out of the locker on Dec. 21 in a “misguided effort to play a joke” on a teammate.
League officials have said the locker room incident stemmed from a card-game dispute between Arenas and teammate Javaris Crittenton on a plane trip two days earlier. At least seven Wizards players and coach Flip Saunders have appeared before a grand jury or been questioned by authorities.
Earlier Thursday, police searched for a gun at Crittenton’s apartment in Virginia but did not seize any evidence, according to court documents. It’s unclear what role Crittenton played in the incident and whether he had a gun. He has kept a low profile and has said he did nothing wrong.
Gilbert was already suspended indefinitely from the Wizards and he can kiss that $111 million contract goodbye.
