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Knicks Point Guard Raymond Felton Arraigned on Gun Charges

By  Murray Weiss Trevor Kapp and Gustavo Solis | February 25, 2014 7:37am | Updated on February 25, 2014 7:12pm

 Knicks star Raymond Felton was arraigned on weapon possession charges in Manhattan Criminal Court Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014.
Raymond Felton Arraignment
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UPPER WEST SIDE — Struggling Knicks point guard Raymond Felton was arrested early Tuesday morning and charged with two counts of criminal possession of a weapon after his estranged wife’s lawyer brought police his unlicensed, loaded handgun, law-enforcement sources said.

The lawyer turned over a black bag containing a Belgian-made FNH Five-Seven 28mm handgun to the 20th precinct on the Upper West Side Monday around 7 p.m., half an hour before Felton took the floor against the Dallas Mavericks. The gun held a 18 rounds in a 20-bullet clip, according to a criminal complaint.

The lawyer told police Ariane Raymondo-Felton gave him the gun after finding it in their house, the sources said. The gun was purchased in North Carolina, where the basketball player lives, but it was not licensed in New York.

Raymondo-Felton told police that her husband never pointed the gun at her, but he handled it in an "aggressive way" that concerned her, sources said.

Police then notified Madison Square Garden officials that they wanted to talk to the nine-year NBA veteran, who later surrendered with his lawyer, James Walden, at the station house around 12:50 a.m. Tuesday, nearly three hours after he scored eight points and dished out seven assists in the Knicks’ 110-108 loss.

Felton was charged with two felonies — criminal possession of a weapon in the second and third degree, according to the Manhattan District Attorney's office.

The ball player was arraigned Tuesday night and released on $25,000 bail about 6 p.m. Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Diane Boyer ordered him to stay away from his wife for six months.

The point guard dodged a scrum of reporters and photographers, but said nothing as he left the courthouse.

Raymondo-Felton, who filed for divorce after 19 months of marriage, told police the Knicks guard did not threaten her with the gun, sources said.

Felton was expected to appear in Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday.

The Knicks declined comment on the incident.

Felton’s first stint in New York came in 2010-2011 when he averaged 17 points and nine assists before being traded midseason to the Denver Nuggets for Carmelo Anthony.

He re-signed with the Knicks before last season, but has struggled for much of the last two years.

Felton and his wife married in the summer of 2012 in North Carolina, where he starred in college.