An Atlanta Hawks player was arrested early Friday after he was caught racing another vehicle in the northbound lanes of Interstate 85, police said.
About 12:20 a.m., Atlanta police saw a purple Dodge Charger driven by small forward DeAndre’ Bembry “traveling at a high rate of speed south of Buford Highway” along with another car, Officer Donald Hannah said.
“Both vehicles were changing lanes and appeared to be racing each other as they traveled on I-85 approaching the Buford Highway exit at speeds visually estimated to be close to 150 mph in a 55-mph speed limit zone,” he said.
The Charger was clocked going 128 mph in a 55 mph zone on I-85 near Buford Highway, according to Hannah. The officer was not able to obtain an exact speed on the first vehicle.
Bembry was stopped in the 1900 block of Piedmont Circle without incident and arrested on charges of reckless driving and speeding, Hannah said. His vehicle was impounded.
Bembry was booked into the Atlanta City Detention Center and released on a cash bond.
The Hawks selected Bembry, who played college basketball at St. Joseph’s University, with the 21st pick in the 2016 NBA draft.
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He was recently brought back to the Hawks after a stint with the Hawks’ G League affiliate, the Erie BayHawks.
During Thursday’s game against the Magic, Bembry sat on the bench in uniform so the team would have the minimum number of players dressed out in Orlando. The Magic edged the Hawks, 100-98.
The team released a statement following Bembry’s arrest.
“We are aware of an incident involving DeAndre’ Bembry earlier this morning,” the Hawks said. “We are still gathering information as it pertains to the situation, and out of respect for the legal process, we will have no further comment at this time.”
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