Chiefs lineman arrested

Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Frank Clark has been arrested twice in the past three months for gun possession violations, LAPD officials reported Monday. Clark is entering the third year of his five-year contract with the team.

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June 22, 2021 - 9:56 AM

Kansas City Chiefs defensive linemen Frank Clark (55) and Chris Jones (95) celebrate after a sack in a preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers in 2019. Photo by Peter Aiken / Getty Images / TNS

Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark was arrested Sunday night in Los Angeles on a gun charge for the second time in three months.

Clark was arrested at 9:20 p.m. Pacific Time on Sunday after officers discovered an Uzi firearm in his vehicle, according to the L.A. Police Department.

Three months earlier, on March 13, Clark and another man, Charles Smith, were arrested after officers observed and recovered two loaded firearms inside the vehicle during a traffic stop, according to California Highway Patrol records.

On Sunday night, Clark was pulled over for a vehicle code violation at Grand Avenue and Adams Boulevard in Los Angeles, at which point officers noticed the firearm sticking out from a bag in his vehicle, LAPD spokesperson Tony Im said.

Clark was charged with possession of a concealed firearm in a vehicle under California law. He posted $35,000 bond and was released at about 2:30 p.m. Pacific Time, according to a spokesperson from the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department.

At 11:45 p.m. Pacific Time on March 12, Clark and Smith were pulled over because the vehicle in which they were traveling did not display a front license plate, according to a police report from California Highway Patrol. The officers noticed the muzzle of a firearm in a bag in the back seat and recovered two loaded firearms — one rifle and one handgun — from the vehicle, the report said.

Clark was released on $35,000 bond at 10:24 Pacific Time the following morning, March 13.

The Chiefs did not have an immediate comment on the situation.

Clark, 28, is entering his third year with the Chiefs. The team signed him to a five-year, $104 million contract in April 2019 after trading a first-round and a second-round pick to Seattle to acquire him. The deal includes $63.5 million in guaranteed money.

His contract features a cap charge of $25.8 million in 2021. His release would increase that charge to $38.9 million.

Clark has been selected to the Pro Bowl in both of his seasons in Kansas City. He had eight sacks in 2019 and six in 2020, playing in 29 games. His best work has come in the postseason. In six games, he has eight sacks and 10 tackles for loss.

During the Chiefs’ Super Bowl run, Clark tallied at least one sack in all three victories, including three against Houston. His fourth-down sack of San Francisco quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo halted any late comeback hopes by the 49ers.

In 2014, Clark was charged with misdemeanor domestic violence and assault and dismissed from the Michigan football team after an alleged altercation with his girlfriend in a Sandusky, Ohio, hotel. The charges were reduced to fourth-degree persistent disorderly conduct, with Clark completing a 25-week domestic violence course.

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