Not that this is much of a surprise or anything... but ex-NBA'er Javaris Crittenton waived his extradition rights and is heading back to Georgia to face the murder charge hanging over his head...
On the home side of the matter, Deidra Dukes from WAGA-TV caught up with some of the victim's family and the reaction is not unexpected...
((HT: MYFoxAtlanta))
Javaris Crittenton's attorney, Brian Steel, says his client plans to surrender to authorities to face murder charges in Atlanta.
Steel says that Crittenton will be leaving Los Angeles and should arrive in Atlanta early Tuesday. He also maintains his client's innocence...
Atlanta police obtained a murder warrant for Crittenton in the Aug. 19 shooting of 22-year-old Jullian Jones. Police say Jones was walking with two men when she was shot and they believe one of the men with her was the target.
Crittenton was, allegedly, in the process of trying to track down the individual or individuals that he thought stole some personal effects...
FOSG's Deidra Dukes and Russ Spencer explain...
((HT: MyFoxAtlanta))
In retrospect, perhaps the former Georgia Tech star and NBA washout shouldn't have announced he was coming back.
The reason....the FBI was there waiting for him before he boarded his flight to Atlanta...and arrested him on the spot.
The Atlanta Journal-Constistution says Crittenton was taken into custody without incident. There is not yet an indication when he will be extradited back to Atlanta.
This is just plain sad, mostly because it is someone that we spent time covering and thought much, much better of.
Former NBA basketball player and Georgia Tech star Javaris Crittenton wanted on murder charges in his hometown of Atlanta. Police say Crittenton shot a 23-year old mother of four on August 19th, while driving down the street. According to police, he thought he was shooting at someone he believed had robbed him a few days before.
This really upsets us because Crittenton, who was a High School star at Southwest Atlanta Christian (same school as Dwight Howard) and played one moderately successful year at Georgia Tech was highly regarded in the Atlanta community. He said and did all the right things growing up, though we were aware there was a troubled upbringing in his background. At 6-5, 200 lbs, quick and creative, his future looked bright.
Many believed he went to the NBA far too soon and the proved to be true. After being a 1st round draft pick by the LA Lakers in 2007, he bounced around the NBA and was mostly known for the "Gun" incident with Gilbert Arenas while with the Washington Wizards in 2009.
While covering him, we certainly thought he wasn't mature enough to handle what he was stepping into--the NBA, we never thought it would end for him like this. And yes, while we know you are innocent until proven guilty, the stigma attached to these kind of charges alone will never go away. It is truly a shame to see where he came from, where he was headed and where it appears that he will be ending up. Very sad.
A judge has ordered suspended Washington Wizards star Gilbert Arenas to spend 30 days in a halfway house on gun charges that rose from a locker-room confrontation with teammate Javaris Crittenton.
Prosecutors had recommended that Arenas serve three months in jail. Defense attorneys argued Arenas didn't deserve jail time for what they described as a misguided prank Crittenton.
The whole "Pick 1" thought in the locker room apparently was conveniently dismissed by Arenas' attorneys.
Arenas pleaded guilty to violating the city's gun laws in the December 21 incident at Verizon Center following an argument over an unpaid gambling debt.
Court papers revealed prosecutors said Crittenton had legitimate reason to believe Arenas' threat was genuine.
Here's Fox5DC/MyFoxDC's team coverage with Maureen Umeh, Sports Director Dave Feldman and their live shots...
To recap all the fun we've had with this case... Washington Wizards scorer extraordinaire Gilbert Arenas ((pictured, trying to be funny, thanks Garrabrant/NBAE-Getty)) pleaded guilty back on January 15th to a felony gun charge after an alleged confrontation with teammate Javaris Crittenton in the Wizards' locker room just before Christmas.
Arenas is scheduled to be sentenced March 26. He's in the second season of a six-year, $111 million contract.
Last week, Crittenton plead guilty to a misdemeanor gun possession charge as part of a plea deal in the case.
But now both individuals careers in the NBA are on the strictest of reviews now that they've met with the Commissioner. Arenas can't flash fake pistols at his laughing teammates for a while. Crittenton can't be a teammate for a while.
Will their contracts be voided...??? That's the next question. The answer should be an easy "yes," but it won't be that easy an answer...
Here's the greatest hits from Commisioner Stern on Arenas and Crittenton... Thanks to the NBA their ownselves...
“It is not disputed that, following an argument on the team’s flight home from a game in Phoenix, both Mr. Arenas and Mr. Crittenton brought guns to the Verizon Center locker room and – with other players and team personnel present or nearby – displayed them to one another in a continuation of their dispute. The players engaged in this conduct despite a specific rule set forth in the collective bargaining agreement between the NBA and the Players Association prohibiting players from possessing a weapon at an NBA facility, and reminders of this prohibition given annually by the NBA to players both in writing and in person.
“The issue here is not about the legal ownership and possession of guns, either in one’s home or elsewhere. It is about possession of guns in the NBA workplace, which will not be tolerated.
“I have met separately with Mr. Arenas and with Mr. Crittenton. Both have expressed remorse for their actions and an understanding of the seriousness of their transgressions. Both have volunteered to engage in community service in order to turn the lessons they have learned into an educational message for others. I accept fully the sincerity of their expressions of regret and intent to create something positive from this incident.
“Nevertheless, there is no justification for their conduct.”
Stern goes on to say both are suspended for the remainder of the season... Here's coverage for our friends at MyFoxDC... ((HT: WTTG-TV))
The last of the two Washington Wizards involved with the Locker room gun incident has officially been charged. Javaris Crittenton was charged with 2 misdemeanor offenses from his "disagreement" with Gilbert Arenas/Agent Zero at the Verizon Center last month.
The charges, unlawful possession of a firearm and attempting to carry a pistol with out a license carry a maximum sentence of a year in jail. However it is widely known that Crittenton is working on plea deal which wouldn't require him to go to jail.
For his part, Arenas/Zero plead guilty to a felony charge last week. He also agreed to a plea arrangement which would ask the prosecutor to go for no more than 6 months of jail time. In the meantime, he is on indefinite suspension from the NBA.
The whole thing is just pretty stupid. We realize that Arenas/Zero is a flake and has done some strange things in his career. Crittenton, we covered in High School and College and really don't know what he was thinking either. He never came across as someone who would be so casual about waving around guns in a locker room or for that matter anywhere else. But, we guess that you never really know somebody until...well...you know somebody.
Here's coverage from our friends at MyFoxDC and WTTG-TV... Paul Wagner gets to stand outside court for his live shot...
The never ending "Bizarro" world inhabited by Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas got a little stranger recently. Apparently, the self-proclaimed "Agent Zero" got into a dispute with teammate Javaris Crittenton. The dispute got heated enough, that somehow, from somewhere, both players pulled guns.
((Agent Zero himself//Courtesy: NBAE/Getty Images))
There are way too many questions here to answer in one story. The obvious one would be "How did they have guns in the locker room?". Apparently, according to friends of Crittenton, the argument was over a gambling debt of some sorts.
Also, the report the Post uncovered goes on to say that the Wizards announced on Christmas Day that Arenas had admitted to bringing guns to the locker room. Why...we don't know. Needless to say the Wizards...and the NBA are none too pleased about this and are investigating both the incident and how the guns made it to the locker rooms.
Needless to say, we are guessing this story will have some legs and be followed up on at some point...so stay tuned.
Here is Gilbert doing what Gilbert should concentrate on doing...playing basketball really well. Thanks NBA Entertainment/You Tube:
