WASHINGTON -- Former NBA player Lonny Baxter was arrested by uniformed Secret Service agents on Wednesday after shots were fired from a vehicle about two blocks from the White House.
Baxter
Baxter, who helped Maryland win a national championship and
played with the Charlotte Bobcats last season, was ordered held
without bail.
"Nobody feels worse about this whole scenario than Mr. Baxter
himself," Baxter's lawyer, Harold Martin, said after Wednesday's
brief court appearance. "Hopefully this doesn't become a
life-altering event."
The 27-year-old Baxter was taken into custody around 2:30 a.m.
after a witness flagged down a Secret Service agent and reported
shots fired from a white sport utility vehicle, said Secret Service
spokesman Eric Zahren.
Officers stopped the vehicle, which Baxter was driving, near the
intersection of 17th and I streets in Northwest Washington, he
said.
"There were spent shell casings in plain view inside the
vehicle," Zahren said. Officers also recovered a handgun.
The Secret Service charged Baxter and his passenger, 35-year-old
Irvin Martin, with carrying a handgun without a license and other
firearms charges, which could lead to up to seven years in prison.
It wasn't immediately clear why they were allegedly firing the
gun.
"We're not sure at this point," Zahren said. "There may be
some subsequent charges if we discover some additional
information."
Martin was released on his own recognizance.
Baxter signed a one-year deal earlier this month with Italian
team Montepaschi Siena.
Baxter was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the second round of the 2002 draft. He is a native of
Silver Spring, Md., just outside of Washington, and played for
Maryland from 1998 to 2002. He also played with briefly with the
Washington Wizards.
Bobcats spokesman Scott Leightman said Baxter is no longer with
the team after his contract expired at the end of last season.
Baxter joined the Bobcats in the middle of last season in a
trade with Houston.