Charles Barkley Started Early ... Arrested on Suspicion of DUI

NBA star Charles Barkley speaks during the Ante Up for Africa …

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Charles Barkley was arrested on suspicion of drinking and driving early Wednesday morning.

An officer with a law enforcement task force that targets drunken driving saw the former NBA star run a stop sign around 1:30 a.m., said Gilbert police Lt. Eric Shuhandler.

Barkley declined to submit to a breath test but was given a blood test. The results weren't immediately available.

After Barkley was processed, he was cited and released. He left in a cab, Shuhandler said.

Shuhandler said there was nothing remarkable about Barkley's arrest and that it is customary to release people after they've been arrested on suspicion of DUI.

"There was nothing unusual about how he was taken into custody," Shuhandler said. "He was treated exactly like we treat anybody else."

Barkley was arrested in Scottsdale's Old Town area, one of the trendiest spots in the Phoenix metro area.

Barkley played 16 NBA seasons for the Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets, and played on the USA Olympic "Dream Team" in 1992 and 1996. He was an 11-time NBA All-Star and league MVP in 1993.

[link to news.yahoo.com]