Former Laker Javaris Crittenton Arrested at John Wayne Airport, Faces Murder Charge

Former Los Angeles Lakers guard Javaris Crittenton was arrested Monday night at John Wayne Airport on a charge of being a fugitive from justice in connection with the killing of a 22-year-old mother in Atlanta.

Crittenton was arrested about 8 p.m. after checking in for a flight to Atlanta, said Laura Eimiller of the FBI. An FBI-Los Angeles Police Department fugitive task force, with the help of Orange County Sheriff's Department deputies, took Crittenton into custody in connection with a warrant for murder in Atlanta, Eimiller said.

The task force was looking into Crittenton's whereabouts in Los Angeles and developed the information that he would be at John Wayne Airport, she said.

Crittenton, 23, of Fayetteville, Ga., is accused of shooting Jullian Jones outside her home on Aug. 19, according to the FBI.

Jones was shot multiple times and was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Georgia law enforcement officials said Crittenton was actually targeting someone he thought had stolen jewelry from him earlier this year, FBI officials said.

Crittenton was booked by the LAPD and is being held in a downtown Los Angeles jail until his court appearance, which should come by Wednesday, said Eimiller.

Crittenton was chosen by the Lakers in the first round of the 2007 NBA
draft, but was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies on Feb. 1, 2008, in the deal that brought Pau Gasol to the Lakers.

In 2010, Crittenton pleaded guilty to misdemeanor gun possession and was placed on probation after getting into a locker-room dispute with Washington Wizards teammate Gilbert Arenas, with both players wielding guns. Crittenton and Arenas were suspended for the remainder of the season by NBA Commissioner David Stern.

Crittenton was released by the Charlotte Bobcats during training camp
before the start of the 2010-2011 season. He then played five games with the Zhejiang Guangsha Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association and 21 games with the Dakota Wizards of the NBA Development League.

—City News Service