Ex-boxing champ Deontay Wilder arrested on gun charge: police

Former world heavyweight boxing champion Deontay Wilder was arrested in Los Angeles early Tuesday for possession of a concealed weapon, police said.

The Los Angeles Police Department said Wilder was detained in the early hours of Tuesday after being stopped by police while driving his Rolls Royce car in Hollywood.

He was subsequently booked on suspicion of carrying a concealed firearm in the vehicle.

He was released at around 6:35 am after making bail set at $35,000, the LAPD and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.

According to the TMZ.com entertainment news website, Wilder was pulled over by police who alleged the windows of his car were illegally tinted and his license plate was obstructed.

Officers subsequently reported smelling “burnt marijuana” coming from the vehicle and conducted a search, which uncovered a firearm.

TMZ cited unidentified sources as saying Wilder was “cooperative and nice” throughout the incident.

Wilder later appeared to address his arrest in a cryptic post on Twitter a few hours after his release.

“I’d rather be safe than sorry. The End,” Wilder wrote.

Wilder (43-2-1, 42 knockouts) returned to the ring after a year-long absence last year following the third of his epic fights with World Boxing Council heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in October 2021.