Scottie Pippen awaits court date on handgun possession charge

Jet, Feb 7, 1994

Chicago Bulls All-Star forward Scottie Pippen's role model status may have been tarnished a bit, following his recent arrest for carrying a loaded semi-automatic pistol in his vehicle.

Pippen, 28, was arrested and released on bail after a traffic officer spotted the loaded .380 caliber pistol in Pippen's 1994 Range Rover, which was illegally parked outside a downtown Chicago night spot.

The seven-year NBA veteran was charged with unlawful use of a firearm which is a misdemeanor. Police said Pippen had an Illinois firearm owner's identification card which enables him to own a gun, but not to carry it on the street. He posted $100 cash bond two hours later and was released.

At JET press deadline, Pippen was unavailable for comment on his arrest.

But the Pippen arrest sent ripples of disappointment from the area's political community that relies on successful athletes' influence to sway youngsters from inner-city violence, including Congressman Bobby Rush (D., IL).

"It's hard to send a message to a 5-year-old who walks in a classroom with a gun if the next week he sees on TV that Scottie Pippen has a gun," said Rush in the Chicago Sun-Times. Rush, a former Black Panther member 25 years ago, has since denounced handguns and violence.

Pippen's former teammate Michael Jordan told reporters that the Pippen arrest was overblown and that he is a "responsible" individual.

Pippen is scheduled to appear in Misdemeanor Court on Feb. 25.