"That was dumb" - Newly surfaced footage of Cam Payne's fake name arrest shows cops roasting him
Back in June, veteran guard Cam Payne was arrested in Scottsdale, Arizona for giving police a fake name. At the time, the story was that police were called to a house, where they encountered Payne, who gave them and the dispatcher he spoke with over the phone a fake name: Terry Johnson. Because he was interfering with a police investigation, the officers placed Payne under arrest.
Now, in newly released body camera footage, the entire ordeal can be seen. After getting into a disagreement with his girlfriend, Cam Payne called the police. We then see the officers in the video speaking with him, where he explains that the two had a disagreement, but nothing turned physical. When one of the officers asked his name, Payne refused, instead saying:
“I’m OK,” he replied. “I don’t have to tell you my name. I’m OK.”
The officer explained that protocol dictates they need to get the names of both parties when responding to a domestic violence call. However, Payne again refused to give his name despite officers informing him that by doing so, he would be placed under arrest.
The video then shows Cam Payne giving a Jan. 1, 1998 birthday, which officers questioned him about, before eventually giving his real name. Eventually, the officers arrested Payne, at which point one of them was heard candidly explaining to him:
“That was the dumbest way to get arrested man. I’ve had people get arrested for dumb stuff and this is the top of the list. Dude, you realize you could have told us your real name and we would have been gone five minutes ago and now you’re going to jail.”
Cam Payne explains his motivation heading into 2024-25 season with the Knicks
Some members of the NBA community speculated that Cam Payne's arrest over the summer could impact his chances of signing with an NBA team for the 2024-25 season. However, in July he signed a one-year deal with the New York Knicks.
As he explained in an interview with Murray Ledger & Times last month, the Knicks were impressed by his postseason play last year when he was a member of the Philadelphia 76ers. Specifically, his Game 3 performance against Tom Thibodeau's team.
Given that, the team decided to sign him to a one-year deal this summer. Payne adds depth to their bench as they look to ride the momentum of the Karl-Anthony Towns acquisition into a season where they hope to have a deep playoff run.
As Cam Payne explained in an interview with SNY this week following a postseason game, he plans to play his heart out in New York because the alternative is playing overseas again:
"The biggest experience was me being waived and going overseas. I don't want to go back overseas. That's my identity. I'm going to play my heart out. I'm going to do whatever I gotta do to help the team win."
Later today, the Knicks will look to build on their undefeated preseason record when they face off against the Washington Wizards ahead of the start of the regular season on Oct. 22.