King's Artest arrested for violence
(AP)Updated: 2007-03-06 09:02
Sacramento Kings forward Ron Artest was arrested Monday after a woman called 911 from his home saying she had been assaulted.
Placer County sheriff's deputies responded about 9:30 a.m. to Artest's five-acre estate in the Sacramento suburb of Loomis, where they found a woman who had suffered injuries, officials said. She declined medical attention.
Deputies arrested Artest on suspicion of domestic violence
and using force or violence to prevent the woman from reporting a crime,
sheriff's spokeswoman Dena Erwin said.
"He and the female were in the house and separated," Erwin said. "The deputies interviewed them and took Mr. Artest into custody."
Artest was booked into the Placer County Jail and released later on $50,000 bail.
Erwin said she could not disclose the woman's injuries or characterize her relationship with the player. She said Artest was cooperative when deputies arrived at his home.
A Kings spokesman said the team would issue a statement about the arrest later Monday.
"We're aware of the situation, and we're in the process of gathering information," spokesman Darrin May told The Associated Press.
Artest, who joined the Kings from the Indiana Pacers in January 2006, has had previous run-ins with police.
He was at the center of the infamous brawl on Nov. 19, 2004, between Pacers players and Pistons fans at The Palace in Detroit. Just when a confrontation between players seemed to be over, Artest, lying on the scorer's table, was hit with a cup filled with an icy beverage. He bolted into the stands in a rage, followed by fist-swinging teammate Stephen Jackson. Artest and teammate Jermaine O'Neal later slugged fans on the court.
Two days later, Artest was suspended for the rest of the season — 73 games, plus the playoffs — in a move that cost him almost $5 million.
Artest and Jackson were sentenced to one year of probation and 60 hours of community service after pleading no contest to misdemeanor assault charges. In January, Artest was released from that probation.
Artest also has had trouble with local authorities.
Last month, county animal control officers seized Artest's Great Dane, Socks, from his home in a gated community about 25 miles northeast of Sacramento. They said the animal wasn't being fed.
County records showed the NBA star had paid nearly $2,000 in boarding and impound fees for his dogs, which had spent 77 nights at the pound since July.
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