Former Super Bowl champion arrested on gun and stolen vehicle charges outside metro Atlanta

A former Super Bowl champion was arrested Wednesday on gun and vehicle theft charges in metro Atlanta, according to jail records.

Ricardo Lockette, 37, who played wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks when they won Super Bowl XLIX in 2014, was jailed in Fulton County for possession of a firearm during the commission or of attempting to commit certain crimes, possession of a vehicle with an altered VIN and theft by receiving stolen property. As of Thursday morning, he remained in jail without bond.

Channel 2’s Michael Seiden obtained court documents revealing the Georgia State Patrol was conducting surveillance outside a Chipotle near Camp Creek Marketplace when troopers noticed Lockette leaving in a 2021 Ram 1500 TRX with a suspicious tag.

State troopers and Atlanta police followed Lockette as he crossed the street to Target, where they conducted a traffic stop and determined the truck was stolen.

“The FOB key found in Mr. Lockette’s possession was for a Ram Limited, which was not compatible with the RAM TRX he was driving,” an investigating agent wrote in the cause affidavit likely. “Further investigation revealed that the vehicle identification number displayed on the windshield and door jamb was fraudulent.”

When investigators analyzed the original VIN, they determined the truck was reported stolen in Atlanta on March 24, 2023, court records show.

Under the fake VIN, Lockette came back as the registered owner of the stolen truck he was driving with a suspended license.

(DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for breaking news alerts)

He was also in possession of a Glock 43 9mm pistol, according to court documents.

When officers told Lockette he was driving a stolen truck, the Albany, Georgia, native told police he purchased the vehicle in 2020 during the pandemic.

“He told (us) he found the vehicle on Facebook Market but could not provide a date,” a responding officer wrote in his probable cause affidavit. “He stated that he traveled to Columbus, Georgia to purchase the vehicle from a Buy Here, Pay Here dealership. Again, he could not provide a date of purchase or the amount he paid. He said he couldn’t remember if he paid cash or used the bank to buy it. He said the vehicle was paid for at the time of purchase.

But when police searched the truck, they found a temporary tag that had been issued on May 3, 2023, a little more than a month after the truck was reported stolen, according to the arrest affidavit.

It was unclear Thursday morning whether Lockette had retained an attorney.

TRENDING STORIES:

In 2011, Lockette was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent. He also had brief stints with the San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears before returning to Seattle in 2013, where he eventually won a Super Bowl in 2014 after the Seahawks beat the Denver Broncos 43-8 in the Super Bowl XLIX. Lockette announced his retirement in 2016 after suffering a career-ending neck injury in 2015.

Lockette played football and ran track at Monroe Comprehensive High School before taking his talents to Fort Valley State University where he competed in both sports.

In 2019, the Boys & Girls Club of Albany (GA) inducted Lockette into its Hall of Fame. On his website, it says Lockette is now a player advisor to the Harvard Football Players Health Study, a research program that aims to make the game safer and improve the well-being and health of former players. NFL.

(SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Newsletter)

IN OTHER NEWS: