Former NFL player arrested after allegedly threatening to kill 7-Eleven customers, Burbank police say
A former professional football player was arrested in Burbank last month for allegedly driving under the influence and threatening to kill customers at a 7-Eleven.
Franklin Shane Burton, 44, was charged with DUI, making criminal threats, resisting arrest and public intoxication by the Burbank City Attorney’s Office stemming from a Sept. 30 incident at a 7-Eleven located at 600 N. Glenoaks Blvd.
Sgt. Derek Green, a spokesman for the Burbank Police Department, said witnesses reported seeing a man driving to the convenience store around 11:05 p.m. He reportedly began to act “belligerent and hostile” toward customers and threatened to “kill someone.”
An officer responding to the incident tried to get the man to stop, but he refused and “advanced” toward him. Green said the officer subsequently used a stun gun in an attempt to subdue the man, but it failed to have any effect.
More officers eventually arrived to confront the man.
“This guy is huge. He’s literally huge,” Green said. “It took several officers to be able to control and take him into custody.”
Authorities identified the man as Burton, a Burbank resident. Witnesses and officers at the scene reportedly said they noticed a strong smell of alcohol on the man’s breath at the time of his arrest, according to Green.
He also confirmed that he is the same Burton who formerly played for several teams in the National Football League, including the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets. He last played for the Carolina Panthers in 2003.
Twitter: @Andy_Truc
