Former NBA Guard Arrested After Allegedly Stealing Vodka, Calling Officer ‘White B–ch’, Police Say

Washington Wizards guard Ty Lawson looks on during the second half of Game 4 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Toronto Raptors on April 22, 2018, in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)

Former NBA guard Ty Lawson was arrested in Colorado last week after police say he stole a bottle of vodka from a liquor store before verbally abusing an officer during his arrest.

According to police documents obtained by TMZ, the former Denver Nuggets point guard was arrested on July 16 in Castle Rock after allegedly taking a $34 bottle of Tito’s Handmade Vodka from a local liquor store and bringing it to a nearby restaurant without paying for it.

Officers who confronted Lawson believed he was intoxicated, according to the report, noting that he smelled of alcohol during the encounter.

Police allege Lawson became combative during the arrest, repeatedly calling one officer a “bitch” and a “white bitch” while shouting “stop” several times. Authorities also allege he kicked the glass wall of his holding cell and spit on the floor after being taken into custody.

According to the police report, Lawson later apologized for his behavior.

The 37-year-old was booked on a misdemeanor shoplifting charge involving property valued at less than $300 before being released.

Lawson has not publicly commented on the allegations.

The arrest marks the latest legal issue for the former NBA standout. In 2015, Lawson pleaded guilty to driving while ability impaired following a DUI arrest in Colorado. Later that year, he was arrested again in California on suspicion of driving under the influence before eventually entering a rehabilitation program.

Lawson appears to have commented on the incident on X.

“Being black in America is tough…. Being lied by a pasty face white woman wild… stay outta castle rock Colorado!!!!” he wrote in a post.

“This the wildest and more racist shit I been thru,” he continued in a follow-up post.

Lawson starred at the University of North Carolina, where he earned All-American honors and helped lead the Tar Heels to the 2009 NCAA national championship before being selected 18th overall in the 2009 NBA Draft.

He spent eight seasons in the NBA, including six with the Denver Nuggets, and later played for the Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings and Washington Wizards before continuing his career overseas.