WASHINGTON — Cleveland Cavaliers guard Delonte West was indicted Tuesday on additional weapons and traffic charges stemming from his Sept. 17 arrest for speeding on a motorcycle and carrying multiple weapons.
The eight-count indictment sheds no new light on why West, 26, was riding a motorcycle on the Capital Beltway in Prince George's County, Md., at 10 p.m. with two loaded handguns and a loaded shotgun. Prosecutors on Wednesday added an 81/2-inch Bowie knife to the list of concealed weapons West was carrying.
It's illegal in Maryland to carry concealed weapons and to transport loaded handguns.
West was indicted on two counts of carrying a dangerous weapon, two counts of carrying a handgun, two counts of transporting a handgun, and one count each of reckless driving and negligent driving. The charges are all misdemeanors. Each weapons count carries a penalty of up to three years in prison.
West was initially charged with just two counts of carrying a handgun and with driving in excess of reasonable and prudent speed.
Court records don't list a lawyer for West. His agent, Noah Croom, did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
West has been treated in the past for bipolar disorder, and last week his wife filed a domestic violence report against him in Ohio. No charges have been filed.
West, who could still face a league suspension over the charges in Maryland, made his season debut during Saturday night's 90-79 win against Charlotte, scoring 13 points in 24 minutes. He was expected to play in Tuesday night's game against Washington.
Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry, who along with team doctors has been handling West's delicate state on a daily basis, issued a statement following the release of the new charges against West.
"It is our understanding that today's developments are part of the legal process that continues to take place with Delonte and he and his legal counsel will handle that," Ferry said. "We will continue to take this matter very seriously and monitor and respect the legal process as it proceeds, but not speculate or comment about it."
Cavs coach Mike Brown didn't want to speculate on the possibility of West doing jail time.
"I believe in the process, I'm going to let it unfold and go from there," Brown said.
After the arrest, West reported to training camp on time but missed the team's first four practices without an excuse. He returned, but then left the team for a week to deal with personal matters. He missed all eight preseason games and Cleveland's first three regular-season games.
West, who lives in Brandywine, Md., was riding a three-wheel motorcycle when he cut off a police officer on the beltway in Upper Marlboro, authorities said. The officer pulled him over, and the weapons were discovered.
Prince George's County State's Attorney Glenn Ivey said West will likely be arraigned by the end of the week, and the case could go to trial early next year.
CLIPPERS OWNERS TO PAY $2.73 MILLION IN DISCRIMINATION CASE: Los Angeles Clippers owner and real estate mogul Donald Sterling has agreed to pay a record $2.73 million to settle allegations by the government that he refused to rent apartments to Hispanics, blacks and to families with children, the Justice Department announced Tuesday.
The Justice Department sued Sterling in August 2006 for allegations of housing discrimination in the Koreatown area of Los Angeles. Other defendants were Sterling's wife, Rochelle, and the Sterling Family Trust.
The defendants allegedly made statements to employees indicating that African-Americans and Hispanics were not desirable tenants.
Court filings indicated that Sterling rented to fewer blacks and Hispanics in Koreatown than would be expected based on demographics, according to the Justice Department.
In settling the lawsuit, however, the defendants denied any liability.
Robert Platt, an attorney for Sterling and the trust, issued a statement saying his clients denied any acts of discrimination.
"The fair housing attorneys could not identify a single individual who was wrongfully denied the right to rent an apartment," he said. The trust has a zero-tolerance policy regarding housing discrimination, he said.
However, insurers for the trust decided it was cheaper to settle the case than to keep fighting, Platt said. Those insurers will cover the settlement.
Sterling manages 119 apartment buildings with more than 5,000 apartment units in Los Angeles County.
"Housing is a basic human need, and yet decades after passage of the Fair Housing Act, far too many still encounter barriers like discrimination," said Thomas Perez, assistant attorney general for the civil rights division.
"The magnitude of this settlement should send a message to all landlords that we will vigorously pursue violations of the Fair Housing Act," he said.
The settlement, which will be considered by a Los Angeles federal judge, also covers two related lawsuits by former tenants at one of the Sterling properties. In those cases, a black family and an interracial family with children contended that private yards that had been part of their apartment were demolished because of their race, the Justice Department said.
Under the settlement, Sterling and the other defendants would pay a $100,000 civil penalty to the government and would pay $2.63 million into a fund to pay monetary damages to tenants who were harmed.
The Justice Department's previous record settlement for discrimination in the area of rental housing was $2.2 million in a 1996 case.
Four years ago, Sterling agreed to pay an undisclosed sum and nearly $5 million in attorney fees to settle an unrelated 2003 lawsuit that claimed he tried to drive non-Korean tenants out of apartments he bought in Koreatown. The lawsuit was brought by the nonprofit Housing Rights Center and 18 other plaintiffs.
That ruling came two weeks after a jury found in Sterling's favor in a lawsuit filed by a former property manager, Sumner Davenport, who claimed he sexually harassed her. Davenport also alleged that Sterling's companies had racially prejudiced employment and housing practices.
Sterling, the Clippers and the NBA are being sued by former Clippers general manager Elgin Baylor, who claims he was forced out of his job a year ago by age and racial discrimination. The team said he resigned. Baylor, a 75-year-old Hall of Fame player who is black, was the team's GM for 22 years.
Sterling is best known for presiding over the Clippers, who won just 19 games last season and have had two winning seasons in the last 30 years.
BUCKS' REDD SIDELINED FOR TWO WEEKS: Milwaukee Bucks guard Michael Redd expects to miss about two weeks because of a strained tendon in his left knee.
The Bucks had said Monday he would miss at least that much time and Redd, who was injured on a dunk in Saturday's home-opener against Detroit, said Tuesday he should be able to return right around then.
He said the injury is "nothing totally too severe" and there's no connection between this and the season-ending one he suffered last Jan. 24, when he tore the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in the same knee.
The former All-Star accompanied the Bucks to Chicago for Tuesday's game and was to be examined by Bulls physician Dr. Brian Cole, who operated on him last March.
With Redd out, rookie Jodie Meeks was active for the first time.
The Bulls were without forward Tyrus Thomas, who was sick at home. Coach Vinny Del Negro said Thomas was sent home from the morning shootaround after seeing trainer Fred Tedeschi and examined by a doctor.
The illness comes on the heels of Thomas staying on the sideline for the entire fourth quarter of a close loss at Miami on Sunday and the deadline for a contract extension passing on Monday. Del Negro said he didn't see Thomas on Tuesday and added if "there's something on his mind, he knows where to find me."
PISTONS' PRINCE SEES CONSECUTIVE GAMES STREAK END: Detroit Pistons forward Tayshaun Prince missed Tuesday's game against the Orlando Magic with a back injury, ending his consecutive-games streak at 496.
Prince will be sidelined for at least three games before his status is re-evaluated this weekend. His games-played streak was second among active players, trailing former University of Utah star Andre Miller, and his games-started streak of 439 was the longest active run.
Prince last missed a game on April 13, 2003 — during his rookie season — against Memphis.