What happened to Ben Gordon? Arrest video surfaces in wake of juice shop incident

Former NBA player Ben Gordon was arrested on Tuesday at a juice shop in Stamford, Connecticut. Gordon was celebrating his 40th birthday when he brandished a knife and started threatening employees at Juice Kings.

Stamford Police officers responded to the situation at around 9:30 am. Gordon initially complied with the authorities after exiting the shop but started acting erratically. Five officers wrestled the former Chicago Bulls and UConn star before he was restrained in handcuffs.

Assistant police chief Rich Conklin told The Stamfor Advocate that Gordon had a knife in his pants, and a stun gun and a couple of brass knuckles inside his backpack. Conklin revealed that the situation was deemed dangerous because of how Gordon acted and the number of weapons in his possession.

"This was a very dangerous situation," Conklin said. "He had a number of weapons on him, and he was in a very agitated state at that point, so we are pleased of our officers' response."

Ben Gordon was charged with three counts of carrying a dangerous weapon and two counts of misdemeanor second-degree threatening. He was also charged with one count each of interfering with an officer, disorderly conduct and sixth-degree larceny.

The weapons charges are considered a felony, while the others are misdemeanors. He was released after posting a $10,000 bond and is scheduled to appear at a Stamford court on April 18.

After Gordon's arrest, police officers brought him to Stamford Hospital for a mental health evaluation. He was brought back to the police department and spoke to a social worker. Authorities also called Gordon's family to try to calm him down.

It was the fourth arrest for Gordon in a span of six months. He was arrested twice on the same day in October in New York for punching his son and assaulting a friend. He was arrested again in November for punching a McDonald's employee in Chicago.

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Ben Gordon attempted suicide after end of NBA career

Ben Gordon playing for the Charlotte Bobcats

Ben Gordon had an 11-year NBA career that started in 2004 after getting picked third by the Chicago Bulls. He won the Sixth Man of the Year award in his rookie season. He also played for the Detroit Pistons, Charlotte Bobcats and Orlando Magic before retiring in 2017.

In a confession to The Players' Tribune, Gordon said that he tried to take his own life twice after his career ended. He was mentally unstable and entered a mental hospital in the same year. He was also arrested a couple of times in 2017.

"There was a point in time when I thought about killing myself every single day for about six weeks," Gordon wrote. "I would be up on the roof of my apartment building at four o'clock in the morning, just pacing to the edge of the ledge, looking over."