Former NBA star Shawn Kemp was arrested Wednesday and booked into a Washington state jail on a felony drive-by shooting charge.
Officers responded to reports of shots fired in an argument between the occupants of two vehicles in Tacoma just before 1 p.m. 14 local time (5 p.m. ET), the Tacoma Police Department said in a statement.
One of the drivers had fired several shots at the passengers in the other vehicle before the “victim vehicle” fled the area, police said.
They said the suspect, whom they identified only as a 53-year-old, was taken into custody without incident and booked into a local jail. A firearm was recovered from the scene, they said.
A suspect named Shawn Travis Kemp was taken into custody at a Pierce County Jail just before 1 p.m. 6 p.m. local time (9 p.m. ET) because of a felony drive-by shooting, county records showed. NBC affiliate KING-TV, which is based in Seattle, identified the suspect as the six-time NBA All-Star, citing the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department did not immediately respond to an overnight request for comment. A spokesman for the Tacoma Police Department declined to provide more information about the arrest.
Records indicate there is only one resident named Shawn Travis Kemp, age 53, in the United States.
In videos that appear to capture parts of the altercation, a man in a red vest jacket can be seen at one point appearing to argue with another person. As the other person begins to pull away in their vehicle, the person in the red vest jacket begins pointing at them as the sirens sound.
In another video, the person in the red vest appears to raise his arm before what sounds like a gunshot.
Kemp is a former star player for the Seattle SuperSonics, now the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was drafted with the 17th overall pick in the 1989 NBA Draft by the team and went on to play 14 seasons in the league. Kemp also played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Portland Trail Blazers and Orlando Magic.
Kemp was previously arrested twice in the early 2000s on drug charges, including possession of marijuana, according to The Associated Press.
The former NBA star now operates at least one cannabis store in Seattle.
Drive-by shootings are listed as a Class B felony under Washington law. Kemp could face up to 10 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $20,000 if convicted.