Rams: More details on Tre Mason arrest emerge
by Vincent Bonsignore
http://www.insidesocal.com/nfl/2016/03/06/rams-more-details-on-tre-mason-arrest-emerge/
Rams running back Tre Mason was taken into custody Saturday in Hollywood, Florida and arrested on suspicion of resisting arrest, marijuana possession, reckless driving and not registering his car.
In a statement, the Ram expressed disappointment.
“We are very disappointed to learn of an incident involving Tre Mason in the Miami, Fla. area Saturday afternoon. We are in the process of obtaining more information about the facts surrounding this incident and will have no further comment at this time.”
The story was first reported by WPLG Channel 10 in Florida. According the the WPLG report, Broward County court records show that Mason had less than the 20 grams of marijuana on him, which carries a misdemeanor possession charge.
According to the Hollywood (Fl) police report released to the Associated Press, Mason was subdued with a stun gun twice when he refused to cooperate with officers who were arresting him in South Florida.
The report indicated Mason refused orders to get out of his Porsche sports car Saturday afternoon after he was pulled over for going more than twice the speed limit in a 35-mile-per-hour zone along a Beachside road, and refused to give the patrol officer his name or provide identification. The officer smelled marijuana in the car.
“I warned the defendant if he did not identify himself he would be subject to arrest and he smirked as he was making eye contact,” Officer Lester Cochenour wrote in his report.
The officer called for backup and warned Mason he would be arrested if he didn’t provide identification, the report said.
Upon informing Mason he was under arrest. officer Cochenour attempted to removed Mason from the car by taking his left arm, Mason braced himself against the car’s floor, seat and steering wheel, according to the report. Another officer joined the effort to get Mason out of the car, but he still resisted, according to the police report.
“The defendant was warned several times in a composed voice to stop resisting, exit the vehicle and if he did not comply with arrest, a Taser would be used,” the officer wrote in the report.
A third officer arrived, and when another effort failed to remove him, Mason was stunned on his torso with a Taser. He was stunned again outside the vehicle in his pelvis when he refused to put his hands behind his back as ordered, the report said.
Mason was then taken to a hospital for medical clearance since he had been stunned. While he was there, bond was posted for him so he was released from police custody and never had to go to jail, said Jaime Hernandez, spokesman for the Hollywood Police Department. Hernandez did not immediately know how much Mason’s bail was.
Mason, 22, has a home in Delray Beach and went to high school in nearby Lake Worth.
Mason, a second-round pick in 2014 from Auburn, was also reportedly taken to a local hospital after the arrest though for what has not been disclosed.
Mason struggled last season in his second year with the Rams, and faced a key offseason trying to get back on strong footing with the Rams.