National Basketball Association

Darius Miles arrested at airport

Published Aug. 4, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Former NBA player Darius Miles was arrested after guards found him trying to take a loaded gun through security at Lambert Airport in St. Louis, a jail official said Thursday.

Miles, 29, was booked then released on Wednesday and no charges have been filed, according to Ginna Jones, a bonding specialist at the St. Louis County jail.

Transportation Security Administration spokesman Greg Soule would not confirm that Miles was arrested, but said TSA officials contacted police after a passenger was discovered with a gun during X-ray screening around 3 p.m. Wednesday. Soule did not say what kind of gun was found or how it was concealed.

Messages left with Miles' attorney and with the St. Louis County prosecutor's office were not returned. Miles' phone number is not listed.

Miles grew up in East St. Louis, Ill., and now lives in Swansea, Ill., a St. Louis suburb. The 6-foot-9 forward was a highly regarded player out of East St. Louis High School. He was drafted straight out of high school No. 3 overall by the Los Angeles Clippers in 2000. He later played for Cleveland, Portland and Memphis, where he last played in 2009. He was invited to try out for the Charlotte Bobcats in 2010 but did not make the team.

In 446 career games, Miles averaged 10.1 points and 4.9 rebounds.

This is not Miles' first run-in with the law. He was arrested in May 2009 after police in Fairview Heights, Ill., said they found a small amount of marijuana during a traffic stop for failing to use a turn signal. He was also ticketed for driving with a suspended license.

Police searched Miles' 1996 Chevrolet Impala and said they found the marijuana in a plastic bag in the passenger compartment. The drug charge was dismissed in May 2011 after Miles successfully completed a drug education course, according to online court records. He pleaded guilty in December 2010 on the driving while suspended charge and was placed under court supervision for one year and assessed $1,000 in fines and court costs.

Miles was suspended for 10 games in the 2008-09 season while with Memphis for violation of the league's substance abuse policy.

The TSA says passengers can carry firearms, parts and ammunition on airplanes, but only in checked bags. The weapons must be unloaded and packed in a hard-sided container, and declared to the airline during the counter check-in process. The agency also urges passengers to contact their airline for its firearm and ammunition policies.