Laker Forward, Ex-Miner Arrested For Alleged Battery On Female IHOP Cashier

The Los Angeles Lakers continue to make the wrong kind of headlines. First Kobe Bryant was fined for using an anti-gay slur against a referee.

Now Lakers backup forward Derrick Caracter is in trouble for allegedly shoving a female cashier at a New Orleans IHOP.at 1:18 a.m. Sunday. He was arrested for the alleged incident.

Caracter, a 6-foot-9 rookie forward who played one season for UTEP, was in New Orleans for the playoffs series, was drunk and acting disorderly inside the restaurant, New Orleans police spokeswoman Shereese Harper stated in a news release.

Eighth District officers arrested Caracter after he grabbed and shoved a cashier at the IHOP Restaurant in the 800 block of Canal Street.

Caracter was refused service at the restaurant around 1 a.m. Sunday, because he was obviously drunk, unruly and started harassing the cashier, Harper stated in a news release. Harper spoke to ABC-7 and corrected news reports that the IHOP employee was pregnant. Harper said the employee is not pregnant.

One officer was called to the restaurant, and attempted to diffuse the situation. But Caracter was uncooperative, so that officer called in back-up. Caracter continued to be belligerent with police and was subsequently arrested.

Caracter was booked with Simple Battery on the woman, Public Drunkenness and Resisting Arrest.

The Public Affairs Office is trying to obtain a copy of video surveillance recorded by an IHOP camera.

The Lakers and New Orleans resume their playoff series on Tuesday in Los Angeles.

A manager at IHOP was aware of the incident but declined to comment Monday morning, according to the Times-Picayune report.

Caracter has a unique contract with the Lakers that depended on his weight.

Caracter has a $473,000 contract this year with $250,000 guaranteed. If Caracter weighed 275 pounds or less on Sept. 10, 2010 the contract became fully guaranteed. Caracter was able to make weight.

Caracter’s weight fluctuated during his college career at Louisville and UTEP.

“I think my conditioning is great,” Caracter told Los Angeles media in July. “I’m at 277. I told (Lakers personnel) I want to play at 270. At UTEP I was 300, 305.”

Caracter said he has dropped the weight by getting more rest and by changing his eating habits.