Meldrick Taylor, 52, allegedly pulled a gun on a tenant he was trying to evict in Philadelphia, PA.
According to Philly Voice, Meldrick Taylor, 52, was arrested on Tuesday after an armed standoff with police in Philadelphia’s Strawberry Mansion neighbourhood. It is alleged that the incident began when Taylor drew a weapon on a tenant during an attempted forced eviction at a property Taylor owns.
Police allege that a 26-year-old man and his friend returned to their home in a two-story brick row home around 11 p.m. The man alleged that once he was inside, the front door opened and Taylor told him he had to vacate the apartment before morning.
The tenant allegedly responded by telling Taylor that 30-days notice is required prior to an eviction. It is alleged that this prompted Taylor to pull out a pistol and point it at the man.
Police were then called to the scene. With police outside the building Taylor refused to leave the apartment. This lasted for around 90 minutes before Taylor surrendered to SWAT officers.
Taylor was then charged with aggravated assault, possession of an instrument of crime, terroristic threats and related offenses.
In a boxing career that spanned almost two decades, Taylor amassed a pro record of 38-8-1. His greatest achievements in the sport were winning the IBF light welterweight title, with a TKO over Buddy McGirt in 1988, and winning the WBA welterweight title against Aaron Davis in 1991.
Taylor’s arguably most notable fights are his two losses to Julio Cesar Chavez. The first of those happened in 1990. That highly controversial final-round TKO loss saw Chavez claim Taylor’s IBF title. The second fight, in 1994, which also ended in TKO, was for Chavez’s WBC and lineal light welterweight titles.
The Strawberry Mansion incident is not Taylor’s first encounter with law enforcement. In 1994 he pleaded guilty to insurance fraud after claiming his $84,000 Mercedes convertible had been stolen. In 2000 he pleaded guilty to indecent assault and unlawful restraint, for which he served 23 months of house arrest and three years probation.