NBA Player Arrested After Gun Shots Heard Near White House
Wednesday, August 16, 2006

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, who played with the Charlotte Bobcats last season, 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.

"There were spent shell casings in plain view inside the vehicle," Zahren said. Officers also recovered a handgun.

Both Baxter, 27, and the vehicle's passenger, 35-year-old Irvin Martin, were charged with carrying a pistol without a license and other firearms charges. Police said it wasn't clear why they allegedly fired the gun.

"We're not sure at this point," Zahren said. "There may be some subsequent charges if we discover some additional information."

The two suspects are being held by District of Columbia police.