I'm so sick of this piece of shit already! Artest arrested in domestic violence case, excused from Kings
March 5, 2007
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- 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.
Sheriff's officials obtained an emergency protective order that prevents Artest from returning to the house or contacting the woman until she can obtain a restraining order, sheriff's Sgt. Andrew Scott said during an afternoon news conference. He said such action was normal procedure in domestic violence cases.
Geoff Petrie, the Kings' president of basketball operations, said the team was removing Artest from the team, pending a full investigation.
"The Kings have excused Ron Artest indefinitely from any further participation with the team due to his arrest today for domestic violence," Petrie said in a statement.
Team spokesman Troy Hanson told the Associated Press that Artest had not been suspended and still was being paid.
"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.