Bills' Marshawn Lynch arrested in California on weapons charge
Published: February 15, 2009, 5:26 pm
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Marshawn Lynch is in trouble with the law again, and this time it could really cost him.
Just three days after playing in the Pro Bowl, the Buffalo Bills running back was arrested last Wednesday in California on felony gun charges.
According to a report from the Culver City Police Department on Sunday, police officers were patrolling the Fox Hills area of Culver City when they approached Lynch and two other men seated in a 2006 Mercedes-Benz.
"A subsequent field investigation led to the discovery of a loaded firearm," the report said. "The officers determined the gun belonged to Lynch and he was arrested for possession of a concealed firearm."
Lynch was booked at 7:12 p.m. and released about an hour and a half later on a $35,000 bond.
The case is now in the hands of the Culver City District Attorney's office.
It is not known why officers approached the car or whether Lynch is licensed to carry firearms.
"We can confirm that Marshawn was arrested in California and has retained an attorney," Bills Vice President of Communications Scott Berchtold said in a statement Sunday. "We are in the process of trying to gather the facts and will not offer a comment while that process is ongoing."
This is the second brush with the law in less than a year for Lynch, who was involved in a late-night hit-and-run incident in downtown Buffalo on May 31 when his Porsche Cayenne SUV struck a Toronto woman on Chippewa Street.
The woman was treated and released from the hospital later that day after suffering a bruised hip and cut to her thigh that required seven stitches.
Lynch did not face criminal charges. In an agreement with the Eric County district attorney, he pleaded guilty to failing to use sufficient care to avoid hitting a pedestrian and was fined $100.
The NFL did not discipline Lynch for that incident, but as a repeat offender, he could face a suspension for violating the league's personal conduct policy.
Gun possession and safety have become hot-button topics with the NFL in light of New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress being arrested on two felony charges in December after accidentally shooting himself at a Manhattan nightclub.
Lynch, who will turn 23 in April, rushed for 1,038 yards with eight touchdowns and caught a career-high 47 passes and another score in his second season with the Bills.
Initially named a first alternate for the Pro Bowl, Lynch got a trip to Hawaii when Tennessee running back Chris Johnson pulled out because of an ankle injury. Lynch led the AFC team with 48 rushing yards in the game.
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