MANILA, Philippines – Legendary Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) import Billy Ray Bates was arrested by Quezon City police Monday morning in Cubao, Quezon City.
Bates, a PBA Hall-of-Famer, was arrested after throwing rocks at a car while at the Farmer’s Market in Cubao.
According to PO2 Alvin Quisumbing of the Quezon City Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), Bates was spotted around 12:20 a.m. near the Farmer’s Market.
Bates was allegedly drunk and suddenly started throwing rocks at a limousine owned by Carlos Vicente, a 48-year-old businessman from Project 4, Quezon City.
Though Bates fled the scene after the incident, he was spotted again around 6 a.m. and was arrested by Quezon City police.
Bates was brought to Quezon City Police Station 7, where he denied being intoxicated and throwing rocks at Vicente’s vehicle. Nevertheless, Bates agreed to pay for damages to the car.
Bates also alleged that he was robbed by two unidentified suspects at the area, who stole his passport, cellphone and P7,000 in cash.
Bates was one of the most dominant imports in the history of the PBA, earning the moniker “Black Superman” for his on-court exploits. He played for Great Taste, Crispa and Ginebra in the 1980s.
Bates returned to the country last year for his induction to the PBA Hall of Fame. He was able to get a job as a skills coach for the Philippine Patriots of the ASEAN Basketball League, but he was later fired from the job. -- Report from DZMM.