Atta boy, Shaq:
Shaquille O’Neal, who hopes to be a police chief or county sheriff one day, helped Miami police with an arrest over the weekend by trailing a man who allegedly assaulted a gay couple and then alerting an arresting officer.
The 7-foot-1 Miami Heat center, who is in the process of becoming a Miami Beach reserve officer, was driving on South Beach at about 3 a.m. Sunday. Shaq saw a passenger in a car yell anti-gay slurs at the couple, who were walking, Miami PD spokesman Bobby Hernandez told The Associated Press.
The man then got out of the car and threw a bottle, hitting one of the pedestrians, who was not seriously hurt. The man got back in the car, which sped off. O’Neal followed, flagging down an officer who made an arrest, Hernandez said.
“For this incident I don’t want to be credited as an individual who does police work,” O’Neal said in a statement. “I want to be credited as a Miami Beach police officer.”
Very decent of him.
Rocky Smith
He’d make quite an officer of the law, wouln’t he? I wouldn’t argue with him!
Zifnab
Isn’t Chuck Norris an offical Texas Ranger or something? I think I heard that somewhere. Regardless, if Shaq ticketed me for speeding or making racial slurs or public nudity or whatever, I’d totally frame that ticket.
Demdude
Allll right Shaq!!!!!
tBone
Good idea – it would give you something to look at until you were healed enough to get the full-body cast removed.
Steve
I think Shaq would be a great candidate for undercover work.
Ancient Purple
Well, we certainly know that Shaq won’t get the Focus on the Family vote. I mean, he did, after all, help apprehend someone who assaulted one of those nasty homosexuals.
SeesThroughIt
I’m definitely not a Shaq fan, but good on him and kudos for this. Dude definitely has his heart in the right place (see also: paying for George Mikan’s funeral).
Another Jeff
Kind of sucks for the pedestrian that the idiot that threw the bottle has better accuracy throwing bottles than Shaq does with free throws.
Mr Furious
You might not like Shaq the player because he beat your team or whatever, but it’s hard not to like the man. As mentioned above he paid for mikan’s funeral, and has done a lot of other good things as well.
I believe he is actually pursuing some kind of Police certification / Academy thing as well. He seriously has talked about becoming a cop after he retires.
Also, as a grad of LSU he taken a role in hurricane relief as well.
Mac Buckets
As much as I despise the Lakers — I hope that Rick Fox, Derek Fisher and Kobe never win another cumulative game, whoever they play for — I love me some Big Aristotle. Great sense of humour, good with the kids, never in trouble (except when he tries to be Martin Lawrence at Yao’s expense — and now Yao and he are tight), great family.
As far as an NBA player working for law enforcement: Do the rest of the Heat hide their stashes when Shaq’s around, or is it a “blind eye” kind of thing?
jobiuspublius
The only police officer who has to get down on one knee to issue a speeding ticket. I can already see the comedy skits of a giant face peering into a car or a house.
jobiuspublius
Hey, if Yao becomes a cop, maybe he and Shaq can upstage Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker.
John S.
Yeah, because there aren’t any cops on the force that partake in recreational marijuana use…although I think alcohol is still their preferred (and legal) drug of choice.
KC
Being a Kings fan, I never really appreciated the “Shaq attack.” However, in this case, I certainly approve of the “Shaq arrest.”
Krista
He IS a big s.o.b., isn’t he? Perps would either be scared s**tless of him, or awe-struck long enough to be cuffed.
I think he’d be pretty effective…and the kiddies would love him. He’d do a LOT for the image of whatever police force he’d wind up with.
Houstonboy
I have always cheered against Shaq the player… because I am a ROcket fan.
But I am in awe of Shaq the Person.
He is a good person.
And that is what we should all strive to be.
Boronx
“atta boy” strikes me as inappropriate.
Geek, Esq.
I wonder if Shaq will ever wind up arresting Ron Artest.
Stormy70
Off topic – Have you seen this site? I think this is my favorite one, but I am still going through them. Hee hee, the internets are cool.
Mark V.
Wasn’t he a deputy sheriff in his home county in Louisiana at one point?
TallDave
Shaq is actually pretty serious about this. He’s done the training to be a police officer.
His dad is, or was, an Army sergeant iirc. Good family.
Krista
Zifnab
So now we know what your hobbies are when you’re not on this blog…good to know. Do you usually do all three at once? That takes talent.
Mark
I remember a line in Police Academy made in reference to Officer Hightower (played by Bubba Smith) is fitting for Shaq as well:
“If all cops looked likee him there would be no crime at all!”
Rusty Shackleford
The Lakers had a decision to make on whether to keep Shaquille “Shaq Attaq” O’Neal or Kobe “Sexual Assault” Bryant and they chose the rapist.
I used to love the Lakers. Now? Not so much.
Bob Davis
I’d vote for Shaq. He’s a good guy, and intimidating, but not too much so. He could kick some butt in politics. What does he think about ID in schools?
a modest experiment
goonie bird
They,ll have to raise the roof of the police car he uses and he,ll intimadate all those speeders