New Gun Charge Against Ex-MSU Basketball Star Keith Appling

DETROIT, MI — Former Michigan State University star Keith Appling was arrested Sunday night on a gun charge — his third such charge this year — after he was stopped for a traffic violation, police said.

Police stopped the 2013 Dodge Challenger Appling was driving about 9:10 p.m. in the area of Russell Street and East Seven Mile Road, according to a statement from the Detroit Police Department.

Police said they smelled “a strong odor of marijuana” coming from the car and asked for Appling’s driver’s license. When the officer reached in the Challenger to retrieve it, Appling allegedly closed the window and drove away. The officer was able to free himself before the car left the scene, and he was not hurt or dragged, according to the statement.

Police chased the vehicle to Orleans Street and East State Fair Avenue, where Appling was taken into custody.
Gone from the vehicle was a Gucci bag that had been in the backseat of the Challenger. Police backtracked the route Appling allegedly drove and found the bag, which contained paperwork bearing Appling’s name and blue steel semi-automatic Beretta loaded with 10 live rounds of ammunition. It had been discarded along the road, according to the statement.

Appling’s new charges include fleeing and eluding and carrying a concealed weapon. The suspected marijuana was not found.

It’s unclear when Appling will be arraigned.

Appling was arrested in the parking the Pantheion Club in Dearborn on May 1 for allegedly pulling out a gun from the trunk of a car, and then again on June 18 in Detroit, when police said he placed a gun under the passenger seat during a traffic stop.

In the Dearborn incident, Appling was charged with carrying a concealed weapon, a five-year felony; possession of a loaded firearm in a vehicle, a two-year misdemeanor; and possession of marijuana, a one-year misdemeanor.

In the June 18 incident, the driver of the vehicle said the .40-caliber Smith & Wesson belonged to a previous occupant who had mistakenly left it behind.

Appling was a starter in 132 games for the Spartans while at Michigan State from 2010-2014, and he averaged 11.2 points and 4.5 assists per game as a senior. He played five games last season for the NBA’s Orlando Magic. Most of his time was with the Magic’s D-League team, the Erie BayHawks.

Photo: Police booking photo