Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram / Getty
Former NBA baller Delonte West has, unfortunately, found himself on the wrong side of the law again. The 38-year-old was taken into police custody on Tuesday evening after a hostile encounter with Boynton Beach police. Per TMZ, West began drunkenly banging on the department’s lobby doors around 9 p.m., toting an open can of beer and an open bottle of vodka.
West then attempted to walk away but started yelling as he left. The authorities asked West to stop and place the beverages on the floor, and he reportedly followed their instructions at first. However, he then proceeded to place his hands in his pants, which prompted one officer to ready their taser. At that point, West relented and followed their commands. He was arrested and slapped with three charges: having an open container, disorderly intoxication, and obstruction/resisting without violence.
Police reports say West “continued to be belligerent and screaming profanities and obscure rants” as he was being taken to jail. He was finally released at 5:46 a.m. on Wednesday, and his arraignment is scheduled for late November.
West has had noted struggles with mental health and substance abuse, especially after being cut by the Dallas Mavericks in 2012 and bouncing around international leagues until 2015.
At one point, NBA fans became very concerned for West’s safety when videos surfaced of him being brutally attacked by another man in January of last year and then panhandling in the Dallas, TX area a few months later. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban found a way to locate his former guard and get him to rehab. Things appeared to be moving in a positive direction since West became employed at the facility, began working on his basketball game, and was reunited with his mother after some estrangement.
Prayers up for Delonte West and his family, and we hope he gets the help he needs to put this all behind him.
