Former NBA player arrested in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES, Aug 29, 2011 (AFP) - Former Lakers player Javaris Crittenton was arrested on Monday in Los Angeles and could face a murder charge in connection with the shooting of an Atlanta woman.

FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said Crittenton was arrested at John Wayne Airport while trying to board a Delta Air Lines flight bound for Atlanta.

Prior to his arrest, Crittenton was best known an for being suspended by the NBA for an argument involving guns in the Washington Wizards locker room.

Police arrested Crittenton for the alleged shooting of Jullian Jones, 22, earlier this month. Jones was walking with two men when she was shot. Police believe one of the males was the intended target.

Crittenton pleaded guilty in January 2010 to a misdemeanor gun charge and received a year of unsupervised probation, following the 2009 locker room incident.

Crittenton and teammate Gilbert Arenas had argued over a card game on a airplane flight and a couple of days later Arenas showed up in the dressing room with four guns that he placed in front of Crittenton’s locker. Crittenton then grabbed his own gun. No one was hurt but NBA commissioner David Stern suspended Crittenton for 38 games.

Crittenton was a star player at Georgia Tech University where he played one season before deciding to leave college early and turn professional.

The Lakers drafted him with their first pick in the 2007 NBA entry draft. But the Lakers traded him less than a year later to the Memphis Grizzlies in the deal that brought Pau Gasol to Los Angeles.

Crittenton headed to China in December 2010 to play for the Zhejian Guangsha of the Chinese Basketball Association but lasted just five games before being cut by the team.

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