According to a report obtained through a FOIA request, it has been learned that Suns forward Michael Beasley, on January 25, was pulled over by Scottsdale Police due to speeding down Scottsdale Road at about 1:10 a.m.
He was cited for driving with a suspended license, driving with excessive speed, driving with expired registration and failure to display a license plate on the rear of the vehicle. Driving with a suspended license and excessive speeding are criminal traffic violations, whereas driving with expired registration and failure to display a license plate are civil traffic violations.
The report states the officer placed Beasley in handcuffs and arrested him, but decided to release him at the scene due to his cooperation.
Beasley is scheduled to appear in court on February 11, 2013.
According to police, the officer originally noticed the 2009 Mercedes did not have a license plate and saw no sign of a temporary tag in the window.
The report says the vehicle was heading south and was paced at around 71 MPH near E. Doubletree Ranch, and after using the radar gun to confirm the rate of speed, the officer "initiated a traffic stop on the subject vehicle." The posted speed limit was 45 MPH.
From there it was learned that Beasley, 24, was the driver. There were passengers in the car with him.
The officer reported that Beasley handed him an Arizona ID card and said he did not have proof of registration on him because he was waiting for his new one to arrive in the mail.
According to the report, the officer noticed Beasley to have "slow speech and slow responses", but said no when asked if he had had anything to drink or taken any medications or drugs.
The officer said Beasley said "no, not really" when asked if he knew why he was stopped, and when told of his rate of speed said he didn't realize he was going so fast.
The report states the officer then asked if there were any drugs, guns, weapons or knives in the vehicle, to which Beasley said there was a gun in the center armrest in the back seat. The officer asked Beasley if he could "retrieve the weapon until the traffic stop was complete", and he complied.
According to the report, the gun was a Taurus 45 caliber that was loaded with one bullet in the chamber.
Another officer arrived on the scene and helped to administer a DUI investigation, and it was determined that he was not impaired. However, it was learned Beasley's Florida driver's license was still valid, but his Arizona driving privileges had been suspended on October 23, 2012 for failing to appear in court.
The police report states Beasley was handcuffed at 1:37 a.m. and brought to the patrol vehicle. The officer determined that based on Beasley's height he was not going to fit well in the back seat of the car.
Around 2:00 a.m., the report states, the officer told Beasley that since he was cooperative he would "cut him a small break" and cite him and release him from the scene instead of taking him to jail.
"He said he appreciated it since he had to fly out of town the next day."
The officer explained the citation to Beasley, which he signed and was given a copy of. Beasley and the passengers then left the scene on foot, as the car was to be impounded for 30 days.