New footage has emerged of the arrest of NBA star Cameron Payne, which was described by arresting officers as the “dumbest possible way” to be taken to jail.
The 30-year-old was arrested in Scottsdale, Arizona, after calling police shortly before 3 a.m. on June 14 after getting into an argument with his girlfriend.
However, the real reason why the New York Knicks guard was ultimately arrested and taken to jail was easily avoidable.
The back-and-forth between Payne and the officers, who were left in disbelief over the ordeal, was captured in new bodycam footage released this week by Scottsdale police.
When police arrived at Payne’s property in response to his 911 call, the former 76ers player is seen telling them that he and his girlfriend “just had a disagreement, going back and forth.”
New footage has emerged of NBA star Cameron Payne’s arrest from earlier this year
Payne insisted the fight did not become violent, which appeared to indicate the officers’ assistance was no longer needed.
One of the police officers began asking Payne for his details when his partner entered the property to speak to his girlfriend.
However, Payne refused to reveal his name, claiming he did not have to tell the officer and that he would “rather not.”
The officer calmly explained that they needed the correct names and personal information of the parties involved when responding to a domestic violence call.
“You can, but if you’d rather not, that would mean I would have to arrest you,” the officer said.
But Payne continued to resist providing his identification until his girlfriend intervened.
Despite calling him “Cameron,” his girlfriend told him, “Just keep doing what you’re doing, Terry Johnson.”
Payne eventually gave his alias, “Terry Johnson,” as his name to the officer, who then asked for his date of birth.
The arrest of the New York Knicks guard was described by the arresting officers as the ‘stupidest’
Payne was reportedly arrested after telling police his name was “Terry Johnson.”
Similarly, Payne refused again before finally giving in and hesitantly telling the officer that his birthday was January 1, 1998.
“I’m just going to check this out because it looks like you just made up a birthday,” the officer said.
Payne then began to become irritable and argued with the officer at his home who had gone in to check on his girlfriend. He demanded that the officer leave the premises, explaining that they had to stay because they might have to detain him for providing false information.
The basketball player eventually snapped and repeated his real name three times, along with his correct date of birth.
“Okay, you’re under arrest for giving a false name,” the officer responded as the other officer handcuffed Payne. “That was stupid.”
“That was the dumbest way to get an arrested man,” the second officer said. “I’ve had people arrested for stupid things and this is at the top of the list.”
The 30-year-old Hooper signed with the Knicks in free agency this offseason
“Dude, you realize you could have told us your real name and we would have been gone five minutes ago and now you’re going to jail,” the second officer said as they led him to the police car.
Payne’s girlfriend later reportedly defended him, claiming that “Terry Johnson” was an alias he used when going out or booking hotels as an NBA player
Payne was eventually taken to jail, where he was arrested on charges of refusing to provide a true name and filing a false police report. He was reportedly released shortly afterwards.
Payne was drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 14th overall pick of the 2015 NBA draft. He played for the Bulls, the Cavaliers, the Suns, the Bucks and – most recently – the 76ers before joining in free agency this summer the Knicks signed.