Suns won't discipline Michael Beasley after traffic stop ends with citations
Michael Beasley was cited after a recent traffic stop. (Barry Gossage/Getty Images)
By Ben Golliver
The Suns will not discipline forward Michael Beasley after he was cited for multiple violations and nearly arrested during a late-night traffic stop in which a loaded gun was found in his vehicle.
ArizonaSports.com reports the details of the Jan. 25 traffic stop, which reportedly ended with his vehicle being impounded.
According to a report obtained through a FOIA request, it has been learned that Suns forward Michael Beasley, on January 25, was pulled over by Scottsdale Police due to speeding down Scottsdale Road at about 1:10 a.m. He was cited for driving with a suspended license, driving with excessive speed, driving with expired registration and failure to display a license plate on the rear of the vehicle. Driving with a suspended license and excessive speeding are criminal traffic violations, whereas driving with expired registration and failure to display a license plate are civil traffic violations. The report states the officer placed Beasley in handcuffs and arrested him, but decided to release him at the scene due to his cooperation.
According to police, the officer originally noticed the 2009 Mercedes did not have a license plate and saw no sign of a temporary tag in the window. The report says the vehicle was heading south and was paced at around 71 MPH near E. Doubletree Ranch, and after using the radar gun to confirm the rate of speed, the officer "initiated a traffic stop on the subject vehicle." The posted speed limit was 45 MPH.
The report states the officer then asked if there were any drugs, guns, weapons or knives in the vehicle, to which Beasley said there was a gun in the center armrest in the back seat. The officer asked Beasley if he could "retrieve the weapon until the traffic stop was complete", and he complied. According to the report, the gun was a Taurus 45 caliber that was loaded with one bullet in the chamber.
The Arizona Republic reports that the Suns released a statement on Monday, indicating that Beasley would not face any disciplinary action from the team.
"We are aware that Scottsdale police stopped and cited Michael Beasley for motor vehicle infractions at approximately 1:10 a.m. on January 25, 2013. After being briefly detained on-site, he was released. According to the police report, Michael was ‘cooperative’ and ‘no impairment was found’ following field sobriety tests. We have discussed the matter with Michael and at this time do not believe any further action by the Club is warranted."
Beasley's spotty track record began before he played his first NBA game, as the No. 2 pick in the 2008 Draft was fined $50,000 for his role in a marijuana-related incident at the Rookie Transition Program in 2008. He spent time in a substance abuse treatment center in 2009 before the Heat traded him to the Timberwolves after just two seasons. Upon acquiring Beasley, Timberwolves GM David Kahn called him "a very young and immature kid who smoked too much marijuana" before he arrived in Minnesota. Beasley was later pulled over for speeding and cited for marijuana possession by Minnesota police during the 2011 lockout. He also shoved a fan in the face during a lockout exhibition game in New York and launched a lawsuit against his former AAU coach, alleging that he had received improper benefits during his one season at Kansas State.
It's been a rough few weeks for the Suns, who parted ways with coach Alvin Gentry in January, only to have multiple assistant coaches leave their posts when Lindsey Hunter was named interim coach. GM Lance Blanks and veteran center Jermaine O'Neal also reportedly clashed following the coaching change. Phoenix is 16-32, the second-worst record in the Western Conference.
