Former Los Angeles Laker Javaris Crittenton Arrested in Murder Case

John Wayne Airport - Former Los Angeles Lakers guard Javaris Crittenton was arrested at John Wayne Airport Monday night in connection with the murder of a 22-year-old mother in Atlanta.

Crittenton was taken into custody at the Orange County airport about 8 p.m. as he tried to board a flight to Atlanta, said Laura Eimiller of the FBI.

An FBI-Los Angeles Police Department fugitive task force, with the help of Orange County Sheriff's Department deputies took Crittenton into custody, Eimiller said. The fugitive task force had been investigating Crittenton's whereabouts and developed the information that he would be at John Wayne Airport, Eimiller said.

Crittenton, 23, of Fayetteville, Ga., is accused of shooting Jullian Jones outside her home on Aug. 19, according to the FBI.

Jones was shot multiple times and she was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Witnesses told police a dark sport utility vehicle drove by the area and fired an assault-type rifle, FBI officials said.

Georgia law enforcement officials said Crittenton was actually targeting someone he thought had stolen jewelry from him earlier this year.

Crittenton was chosen by the Lakers in the first round of the 2007 NBA draft, but was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies on Feb. 1, 2008 in the deal that brought Pau Gasol to the Lakers.

In 2010, Crittenton pleaded guilty to misdemeanor gun possession and was placed on probation after getting into a locker-room dispute with Washington Wizards teammate Gilbert Arenas, with both players wielding guns. Crittenton and Arenas were suspended for the remainder of the season by NBA Commissioner David Stern.

Crittenton was released by the Charlotte Bobcats during training camp before the start of the 2010-2011 season. He then played five games with the Zhejiang Guangsha Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association and 21 games with the Dakota Wizards of the NBA Development League.