Former NBA point guard Ty Lawson is defending himself after he was arrested for allegedly stealing a bottle of vodka and calling one of the arresting officers a “white bitch” in the process.
Lawson, 38, is accused of taking a $34 bottle of Tito’s vodka from a Castle Rock, Colorado liquor store and bringing it to a nearby restaurant on Thursday, July 16, according to legal documents obtained by TMZ. He was charged with theft of less than $300 and later released.
Lawson took to social media on Thursday, July 23, where he seemingly addressed the incident.
“Being black in America is tough,” he wrote via X. “Being lied [to] by a pasty face white woman wild… stay outta castle rock Colorado!!!!”
He added in a subsequent post, “This the wildest and more racist shit I been thru.”
An arrest affidavit obtained by FOX31 revealed that the shop owner witnessed the alleged theft and saw Lawson taking a sip from the bottle outside of the store before relocating to a nearby restaurant, “where he took the bottle by the fire pit, then sat at the bar with the stolen bottle. The owner advised that the man was possibly drunk, as she said she witnessed him stumbling.”
The affidavit continued, “When officers arrived, they arrested the man, later identified as Tywon Lawson. Lawson faces a charge of theft less than $300, shoplifting. During the incident, Lawson’s friend, who was holding the Tito’s bottle, was also detained, but later released after officers determined he had no role in the shoplifting. The arresting officer noted that Lawson emanated the smell of an unknown alcoholic substance.”
When police confronted the former North Carolina Tar Heel at the restaurant, they say he became hostile, repeatedly calling an officer a “bitch” and “white bitch.” He also allegedly kicked the glass wall of his holding cell and spit on the floor.
TMZ reports he later apologized to officers for his behavior.
Lawson, a former McDonald’s All-American, was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the 2009 NBA Draft, though he was immediately traded to the Denver Nuggets. He played eight seasons in the NBA, including six in Denver.
Before that, he was part of the University of North Carolina’s 2009 National Championship team, playing point guard for what is generally considered one of the best teams of college basketball’s modern era.
Last week marked the seventh time Lawson has been arrested. That includes his June 2008 arrest before his junior season in Chapel Hill. He pleaded guilty at the time to misdemeanor charges of driving after drinking and driving with a suspended license.
He was also arrested twice for DUI in 2015, once in Denver that January and another time in Los Angeles in July. He pleaded guilty to charges related to the first incident and a judge ordered him to attend rehab after the second.
In 2020, he was banned from the Chinese Basketball Association after posting on social media what the league deemed to be “inappropriate” comments “inconsistent with the social responsibilities and values.”
Lawson’s most recent arrest came in Madrid in 2022 when he was allegedly involved in two altercations at an airport restaurant, including one in which he reportedly threw a glass at another customer. Authorities then escorted him to a different flight.
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