Hines Ward: Steelers Wideout Handcuffed at Gunpoint in Stolen Car Mix-Up

Hines Ward Handcuffed at Gunpoint By Police Following a Stolen Car Mix-Up

Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Hines Ward found himself in a relatively terrifying situation early Thursday morning after police handcuffed the receiver at gunpoint. 

According to a report from WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh, Ward was riding in the passenger seat of a car in a Los Angeles suburb with a female friend of his driving when the pair were pulled over by police. The cops ran the car's plates, and determined that it had been reported stolen. Ward and his friend were then pulled from the car by officers with their guns drawn, who then handcuffed the pair on a sidewalk.

As the investigation continued, it was revealed that the woman had been the one to report the car stolen, but when it was located, she forgot to call off the search. The pair were released without being arrested and allowed to continue as normal. 

According to the report:

""Hines and the driver were held for about an hour while officers verified the woman's story and police said the Steelers superstar was "very cooperative."  Ward's agent, Andrew Ree said the situation was a misunderstanding."

""Apologies were made. Hines did absolutely nothing wrong here. He was a peaceful passenger. Everything's fine. He was very cooperative, very understanding of the situation and everything's fine. There's no story. It's over." Ree told Channel 4 Action News."

Ward has never had a previous run-in with the law, and this was just an honest mix-up. Police told the news outlet that they treat all stolen car pullovers as potential felonies, and they were simply following procedure. 

Even so, it was an incident that was sure to put a bit of a scare into the wideout, as it would anyone pulled from a vehicle at gunpoint. For a few minutes there, it looked like perhaps the veteran receiver would be the latest player arrested during the lockout, but fortunately, it turned out to be little more than a misunderstanding.