Security at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte kept members of the North Carolina Highway Patrol Honor Guard out of an NBA game last week because they were armed.
Sgt. Henry Dorty said that he and other members of the Honor Guard were in full uniform when they arrived at the arena ahead of the the Hornets game on Thursday when they were told to check their weapons at the door if they wanted to enter the facility, according to WCNC-TV.
Dorty told the news station that the Honor Guard has presented colors and led the Pledge of Allegiance at the arena many times in the past, but this time things were different. When the toopers refused to disarm, the arena's new head of security didn't budge and te stalemate ended with the officers leaving.
The NBA has rules barring anyone from entering arenas with weapons if they are not acting in a security capacity, but Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers would escort the troopers in to carry out their Honor Guard duties.
Dorty said that he doesn't believe the new head of security was aware of the practice and calls the situation a misunderstanding and that the Honor Guard doesn't want any bad blood with the Hornets organization.
Members met with arena security over the weekend to work out their differences.
