Local News in Brief : Ex-Basketball Player Sentenced in Thefts

A Torrance Superior Court jury on Monday convicted former UCLA and professional basketball player Darrell Allums on seven charges of armed robbery and one charge of robbery for stealing cash from Domino’s Pizza deliverymen during a two-month series of crimes in 1987.

Allums, 30, could be sentenced to 15 years in prison when he returns to court April 3.

The jurors deliberated for two days before announcing the verdict and telling Judge William R. Hollingsworth that they could not agree on a verdict in six similar robbery charges against Allums. Hollingsworth dismissed those counts.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Julie Sulman had told jurors during the eight-day trial that the Domino’s bandit--a “very tall” black man--confronted the company’s employees as they attempted to deliver pizzas at homes in Torrance, Gardena, Long Beach and several other communities. The thief usually used a screwdriver or knife to intimidate the deliverymen into turning over pouches that held from $15 to $230 in cash, Sulman said.

Allums--the 6-foot, 9-inch backup center on the UCLA team that was runner-up in the 1980 NCAA tournament--acted as his own attorney in the eight-day trial. He contended that he was the innocent victim of faulty identifications by the Domino’s deliverymen.