Lenny Dykstra arrested, charged with making threats to Uber driver

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Thursday, May 24, 2018

Former New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies star Lenny Dykstra was arrested early Wednesday morning in Linden, New Jersey, after allegedly threatening an Uber driver while in possession of drugs, according to NJ.com.

The website reported that authorities said Dykstra, 55, was charged with making terroristic threats and a number of drug offenses.

The Uber driver told the police that he picked up Dykstra in Linden, and when he refused to change the agreed-upon destination, Dykstra pulled out a gun, pointed it at his head and threatened to kill him. The man said he sped into a parking lot next to the Linden police station, honked his horn and fled the vehicle.

According to NJ.com, police did not find a gun but did find cocaine, marijuana and ecstasy and took Dykstra into custody at 3:30 a.m. ET.

Dykstra took to Twitter to respond to the allegations by, among other things, citing lyrics from Taylor Swift, Rihanna and Kelly Clarkson.

"But I keep cruising, can't stop, won't stop moving. It's like I got this music in my mind, sayin' gonna be alright,'' Dykstra tweeted, referencing the Swift hit "Shake It Off.''

When one Twitter user suggested the encounter was the Uber driver's fault "for not respecting a legend,'' Dykstra responded, "I'm not sure yet that that's the defense with which we are going to go.''

Dykstra spent more than six months in prison in 2013 for stealing valuables from his California mansion and selling them after he had filed for bankruptcy.

Dykstra played major league baseball from 1985 to 1996 and was a three-time All-Star known for his fiery personality and aggressive play. He was a member of the 1986 Mets championship team and was on the 1993 Phillies team that made it to the World Series and lost to theToronto Blue Jays.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report