[OnTheWarpath15]

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...27992bc8b.html

ST. LOUIS • Denver Broncos running back Laurence Maroney was arrested late Monday night in St. Louis, his publicist said.

Maroney, a native of St. Louis, was released this morning from a holding cell without being charged, according to publicist Jane Higgins.

Police refused to identify anyone arrested but said five men were arrested about 10:30 p.m. after police spotted three vehicles disrupting traffic outside the Chaifetz Arena. Police arrested the men on suspicion of marijuana possession and unlawful use of a weapon.

According to police, officers spotted three vehicles circling the arena and causing a slowdown in traffic as they stopped to talk to passersby. Police said those inside the vehicles were seen smoking what was thought to be marijuana. Police stopped two of the vehicles but a third drove off and was not found.

One of the stopped vehicles was an Infiniti Q56 they pulled over at Grand Boulevard and Cass Avenue. Six people were in the vehicle, and police seized what appeared to be marijuana, a .45-caliber handgun, a 9mm pistol and a .223-caliber rifle.

Two of the arrested men are 27, two are 25, and one is 22, police said.

Higgins said Maroney, 25, owns a late-model Infiniti and was riding in his car on his way to a concert when police stopped it. She did not know what concert and would not identify the others in the vehicle.

"Mr. Maroney was unlawfully arrested for possession of weapons," Higgins said in a statement. "He holds a permit to carry a concealed weapon. He was not arrested for any drugs nor was he involved in a high-speed chase. He was released without being charged with any offense and we do not anticipate he will be charged with any criminal offense."

Police confirmed that a 25-year-old passenger from the Infiniti has a valid conceal-and-carry permit but was arrested for possessing a firearm while under the influence of drugs.

Police are applying for warrants, and are waiting on lab tests of the substance they believe to be marijuana. The test results could take up to a month.

Maroney is a graduate of Normandy High School. The New England Patriots drafted him in 2006 but traded him to Denver before the start of the 2010 season. He played in just four games for the Broncos this season.

The other car police stopped was a GMC Yukon carrying five people in the 3600 block of Cass Avenue. Police seized a glock handgun and arrested a man, 28, on suspicion of being a felon in possesion of a weapon.