Jerry Buss arrested on DUI charge
CARLSBAD, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss was arrested early Tuesday for investigation of driving under the influence of alcohol.
The 74-year-old Buss was taken into custody shortly before 1 a.m. after he drove his gold Mercedes-Benz station wagon the wrong way on a street in an unincorporated section of Carlsbad that has double yellow lines, California Highway Patrol Officer Tom Kerns said.
"Although I was driving only a short distance, it was a bad decision and I was wrong to do it," Buss said in a statement issued by the Lakers. "It was a mistake I will not make again."
A 23-year-old woman in the vehicle with Buss wasn't arrested, Kerns said.
He said Buss was "relatively cooperative" when placed under arrest, and was booked into the Vista jail for investigation of drunken driving and driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 or above.
Buss was released around 10:30 a.m., according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department website. Kerns said the final results of Buss' blood alcohol test won't be available for about three weeks.
Highway Patrol officers Sal Gutierrez and Julie Cahill administered field sobriety tests using an alcohol screening device, Kerns said.
Lakers spokesman John Black said Buss was in the Carlsbad vicinity because he has a home in north San Diego County. Buss' primary residence is in the Los Angeles suburb of Playa del Rey.
I just heard the Kobe Bryant interview on KLAC 570.
I don't know what this guy is thinking when he mentioned that PJ told him today that the Lakers plan is to build for the future and the Owners telling Kobe that they want to win right now.
Kobe: Why would the Lakers tell PJ the "truth" when they were firing him? And if it wasn't the Lakers intention to build a winning team for right now then why bring PJ back at 10 million a season?
THIS IS PHIL JACKSON!
MANAGEMENT HAS TO GET RID OF PHIL JACKSON NOW!
mike
How stupid can Kobe Bryant be? The Lakers "insider" is one of Phil Jackson's people. If Kobe weren't so ignorant he would understand that their's a power struggle going on between Jim Buss and PJ. PJ is using Jeanie to leverage his way through this mess. All Kobe has to do is listen to Jim Buss' interview to know that Jim want PJ out. If anyone is saying Kobe created this mess it's coming from PJ's people because PJ is the one on Jim Buss' hot seat, therefore, the comment from the Lakers insider has to be coming from PJ's people.
The mess in the front office is because Jim want Phil out and Jeanie is fighting him on it.
mike
And one more thing:
If the Lakers are keeping Kobe in the dark on what's going on it might be because they don't want any of it to fall on him if they decide to fire Phil Jackson.
In other words: If the Lakers are going to fire Phil Jackson they're protecting Kobe Bryant in the process.
Message to Kobe: WAKE UP BOY!
mike