NEW ORLEANS – Authorities say Los Angeles Lakers forward Derrick Caracter was arrested in New Orleans, accused of public drunkenness and shoving a cashier at a pancake restaurant.
Police said the 22-year-old player was arrested early Sunday and booked into jail on charges of battery, public drunkenness and resisting arrest. They say Caracter allegedly grabbed and shoved the cashier at an International House of Pancakes after he was refused service and became belligerent. The woman wasn't injured.
Police initially said the cashier was pregnant, but later said that was an error.
Authorities say Caracter was freed later Sunday morning on $1,000 bond
Lakers spokesman John Black said the team was looking into the allegations. The Lakers declined to make Caracter available to the media after Monday's workout at their training complex in El Segundo, Calif.
The Lakers drafted Caracter in the second round last summer out of UTEP. He played just one season for the Miners after transferring from Louisville, which dismissed the former surefire high-school prospect following numerous clashes with coach Rick Pitino and his staff.
The Lakers picked Caracter in the second round last summer, and the power forward played sparingly as a rookie, averaging 2.0 points and 1.1 rebounds in 41 games. He was assigned to the D-League's Bakersfield Jam twice during the regular season, but returned to Los Angeles before the playoffs.
Caracter hasn't played for the Lakers in their first four postseason games against the Hornets, and he wasn't likely to play any significant role in Los Angeles' postseason run.
His arrest is still an embarrassment for the club in the middle of a tough matchup with New Orleans, which evened the series at 2-2 on Sunday night heading to Game 5 in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
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