LeBron James' mother arrested

LeBron James' mother, Gloria James, was arrested early Thursday morning on assault charges after she allegedly became physical with a valet worker, and there's really nothing good that can come from this once you learn that witnesses have described James as having the strong odor of alcohol on her breath.

It's really hard to pass too much judgment this early in the game, but initial reports aren't promising. Witnesses say the valet worker wasn't fetching James' car quickly enough for her tastes, and that she went after him.


Police said Gloria James had a strong odor of alcohol on her breath and her eyes were bloodshot when officers arrived at the hotel about 4:47 a.m. Thursday.

Police said several witnesses supported valet worker Sorel Rockfeller's account of the alleged assault.

If James' mother had just acted the part of the angry valet customer, sure, we could go funny with this. But alleged alcohol on her breath, the time of night it was, and James' previous DUI conviction in 2006? This all adds up to a bad situation for all involved.

All except people driving in Miami Beach at around 5 a.m. on Thursday, allegedly. Because James may have just saved some lives by having it out with the valet service.

TMZ.com is quoting the police report, which paints a pretty ugly picture:

The cop says the valet explained that he retrieved James' car and put it on the valet ramp in front of the hotel while Gloria and a female driver stood around talking to people for 30 minutes. Finally, the valet says he turned the car off.

The valet says Gloria then approached him and stated, "Where are my [expletive] keys and continued yelling profanities at the victim."

The report explains, "Then for no apparent reason the arrestee struck the victim with an open had [sic] across the right side of his face and in the process causing herself to lose her balance and falling to the ground."

After Gloria was transported to a nearby police station, the report continues, a shift commander -- Lt. Acosta -- tried to speak with James who responded, "I'm trying to trust you but I don't trust your kind ... I don't trust that officer who arrested me."

LeBron James' Heat played in Miami on Wednesday night, losing to the Milwaukee Bucks by a 90-85 score. His team is currently sitting third in the Eastern Conference with a 54-24 record, three-and-a-half games behind the Chicago Bulls for the best conference record, and a half-game behind the Boston Celtics for second in the East.