Former heavyweight boxing world champion Deontay Wilder was arrested early Tuesday in Los Angeles for possession of a concealed weapon.
The Los Angeles Police Department announced that Wilder, 37, was taken into custody at 1:15 a.m. local time Tuesday morning. He was released on a bond of $35,000 approximately five hours later. The charge is classified as a felony.
According to TMZ, officers pulled Wilder over in Hollywood for illegally tinted windows and an obstructed license plate on his Rolls Royce. TMZ reported that officers smelled marijuana during the stop and found a 9mm gun in an ensuing search of the vehicle.
Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KOs), who has been recently linked to a potential boxing match against England’s Anthony Joshua later this year, appeared to address the arrest in a social media post on Tuesday.
“I’d rather be safe than sorry. The End,” he wrote on Twitter.
Originally from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Wilder is a former Olympic bronze medalist. His professional career is best known for a blockbuster trilogy against Tyson Fury, which played out from 2018 to 2021. In addition to Joshua, he has also been linked to a potential fight against former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.