Charges Against Heat’s Mason Dropped

Charges were dismissed in New Orleans against Miami Heat forward Anthony Mason, who was accused of beating a police officer, inciting a riot and resisting arrest on Bourbon Street last July.

Mason had pleaded not guilty to the charges, which came three weeks before he was traded from the Charlotte Hornets to the Heat.

City Attorney Mavis Early said her office was uncertain it could convict. Mason faced the possibility of six months in jail and a $500 fine on each charge.

Early said Friday that an investigation showed Mason’s intent was “questionable” when he struck a police officer.

Mason was arrested July 3 at about 9:15 p.m. after officers subdued him with pepper spray, police said at the time. Two officers noticed two groups of men arguing over women and when they tried to separate the groups, the 6-foot-8, 270-pound player hit one of the officers and began encouraging the crowd, police said in July.

Police said Mason fled and the crowd followed him. Officers regrouped and arrested Mason a short time later. No one was seriously hurt.

Mason’s attorneys could not be reached for comment. The court file, though a public document, was not available.

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The NBA will bring its 50th All-Star game to Washington’s MCI Center on Feb. 11, but most area fans will have to watch the game, three-point shootout and slam dunk competition on television because all of the tickets to those events have been spoken for by the NBA and the Washington Wizards, the Washington Post reported.

The only seats available to the public, aside from the weeklong Jam Session at the Washington Convention Center, are to the Saturday afternoon show, which includes practice sessions by the East and West teams and Rookie Challenge featuring first- and second-year players.

Tickets are scarce to the Saturday night session and Sunday game because the NBA has set aside the best 10,000 or so of the 20,674 seats at MCI Center for its corporate sponsors, business partners, broadcasters, current and retired players and coaches, owners, amateur basketball federations, celebrities and anyone else considered part of the NBA family.

Thousands more tickets are reserved for media from around the world and for cameras and other equipment that are used to present the event, leaving the Wizards with about 5,000 upper-deck seats to sell to their season-ticket holders.

Some of those Wizard season-ticket holders, who have stuck with the team through years of losing seasons, are unhappy with being moved from their regular, close-in seats to the arena’s upper bowl for the All-Star game.