Results tagged “lakers” from Crime & Courts

Former Daily Breeze staff photographer Branimir Kvartuc, who now freelances and does lots of other amazing things, was outside Staples Center last night chronicling fans' reactions to their favorite basketball team. It starts out harmless enough with the gold and purple jersey wearing smiling and pumping fists in the air. Police Chief William Bratton is even seen looking relaxed and smiliing.

Of course, as night falls and the team clinches its victory, the celebrating takes an ominous turn. Officers' faces, partially obscured by their riot helmets, look serious as they stand in smoke from small fires set by the crowd and hold back the group. The mini mart inside a gas station is trashed as people loot and someone else is captured hurling a trash can at a patrol car.

Yeah, good times. Woo-hoo. Way to go.

Losers.

When all was done, eight officers were injured and 18 people were arrested.

 

Not sure how it took me this late in the day to hear this, but some Lakers fans got a bit too rowdy last night celebrating the team's victory.

If you think you will act violently in the South Bay if the Lakers win the championship Sunday, just know that I have the Sunday shift and I will mock you for all the Internets to see. Be warned.

So here's why blogs are the future of journalism. Forget that pyramid-style stuff on paper. It's a thing of the past.

I want to make it clear as I write this that I'm not making light of the tragedies here. But I was talking about this yesterday in the newsroom and it happened again today.

Last week, I wrote a story about a couple guys arrested as suspects in the stabbing of an off-duty LAPD officer in San Pedro. One of those men was named Kareem Valdez. He is 21. Well, he was born right at the height of the Showtime Los Angeles Lakers. You have to figure that Kareem's mom was a fan of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, one of the greatest Lakers ever. "We'll call him Kareem!"

So, this morning, I read something about an Inglewood man arrested on suspicion of killing his 6-month-old daughter. It's a horrible case and I'm glad I'm not involved in covering it.

But his name drew my attention -- McAdoo House. House was born in 1983, right in the middle of Bob McAdoo's stint with the Lakers during the opening years of the same Showtime era. That's No. 11 down there.

Can't you just hear his mom and dad say, "Let's call him McAdoo!" And yeah, some might have called the Forum, "McAdoo House." McAdoo was great. I attended his first game as a Laker.

I wonder how many other people out there are named for the Lakers. Are there people named "Magic?"

I guess it would take quite an effort to know if there was an increase of Jameses and Byrons and Kurts in the 80s in LA. But is there a Rambis Rabinowitz? Is there a Cooper Nguyen?

Obviously the names that showed up in the stories I mentioned are alleged bad guys, but if there are lawyers and doctors and chefs and teachers named Kareem and Worthy, it'd be fun to know. Maybe I should just change my name to Worthy Altman.

And what's happening now? Do we have lots of babies named Kobe and Lamar and Farmar set to come? Odom seems like a cool first name -- at least until he gets traded.

June 26 is the United Nations' International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

The day is supposed to raise awareness of the major problem that illicit drugs represent to society. Countries all over the world commemorate the day with anti-drug activities.

Here's a message from the 1980s. (The video doesn't match the sound, but that makes it even more special.)

If you are one of these kids, send an email to tell us about that day.

 

He's known as "America's Toughest Sheriff" and today he took action against "The Big Has-been."

Upset about former Laker Shaquille O'Neal's rapping rant against Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant,  Maricopa, Ariz. County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has revoked O'Neal's special deputy's badge that he issued to him in January. (If you remember,  Shaq worked for the Port police in San Pedro before he was sent off to Miami.)

The AP reported that Arpaio got pretty angry about the Phoenix Suns center's use of a racially derogatory word (it rhymes with "bigger") and other foul language in a rap video mocking this year's MVP. Arpaio promoted Shaq to the rank of colonel in his largely ceremonial posse earlier this month.

Shaq -- or whatever he calls himself now -- was seen in a video posted on TMZ.com rapping that "Kobe couldn't do without me." The guy who didn't get out of the first round because he's old, fat and can't move rips Kobe for not being able to win a championship without him.

He also says Kobe ruined his marriage, and suggests that Kobe "tell me how my ass tastes" -- repeatedly.

O'Neal claimed he was "freestyling" and he's fine with Bryant.

O'Neal served as a reserve officer with the Miami Beach Police Department while he was with the Heat and volunteered with the Tempe Police Department after being traded to the Suns in February.

(Yeah, I'm a Kobe guy.)

As if we Laker fans don't have enough to contend with in Tim Duncan and his pals trying to get in the way of our championship, the NBA has warned that we have to worry about counterfeiters selling us fake Laker gear.

The rotten scum. They must be Celtic fans!

Ayala Deutsch, senior vice president and chief intellectual property counsel for the NBA, is urging Laker fans to beware of counterfeit merchandise -- T-shirts and the like.

"The NBA insists upon the highest quality products, to protect both our authorized vendors and our fans," Deutsch said in a statement. "Counterfeiting is a lose-lose situation, harming those retailers who play by the rules and cheating fans out of the lasting NBA mementos they

 deserve."

Lakers fans won't be cheated! 

To avoid buying counterfeit stuff, Deutsch urged fans to:

• look for the hologram sticker or hangtag and a sewn-in label identifying the merchandise as "genuine" or "official" as authorized by the NBA.
• shop at the Lakers' official team store and other NBA-authorized retail locations instead of buying items from street vendors and flea markets.
• beware of ripped tags, typographical errors, poor quality screen-printing, or irregular markings on apparel.

"The 2008 NBA Playoffs is an event that Los Angeles fans will want to remember for many years to come, but a counterfeit T-shirt is not a really keepsake if it contains a typo or shrinks three sizes when you put it in the laundry," Deutsch said.

Okay, so the NBA warned Spurs, Pistons and Celtics fans too, but those fans won't be buying CHAMPIONSHIP shirts this year.

So when you buy your "World Champions 2008" shirts, look for the NBA label!

Lakers fans WEAR THE REAL DEAL.

Former NBA star Dennis Rodman got arrested on suspicion of domestic violence in Century City last night.

Apparently the former Bull, Spur and Laker isn't rebounding well from a divorce. He's drinking.

TMZ reports

Unless something wacky happens tonight or Wednesday, it looks like the Lakers will get the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the NBA playoffs this weekend.

That’ll mean a face off with Carmelo Anthony, who had a run in with the law in Denver on Monday.

That's Melo’s booking mug.

A police officer pulled him over on the freeway for weaving and failing to dim his lights.

Then he failed a series of field sobriety tests and got arrested on suspicion of DUI.

Melo apologized today in a news conference.

Here's Denver's FOX TV coverage from yesterday.

Let's hope Melo has this same look on his face in two weeks after meeting up with Kobe and Pau.