The brother of Rams star receiver Puka Nacua was one of two men arrested for allegedly taking the SUV of Lakers forward Adou Thiero without consent.
Samson Nacua and Trey Rose, both 27, were charged over the weekend with taking a vehicle without the owner’s consent and remain behind bars, according to NBC 4 in Los Angeles.
Police were called to the 1 Hotel after the SUV was tracked to West Hollywood.
Rose and Nacua allegedly entered the premises after valeting the car, according to the report. Security footage allowed police to arrest the two men on suspicion of taking the vehicle. Police told NBC4 that it was not certain whether the car was stolen.
Samson Nacua, who played his college ball at Utah and BYU, spent the 2023-24 season professionally in the USFL. He reached the championship with the Michigan Panthers in 2024, finishing with 11 receptions for 124 yards in seven games.
He was signed by the Colts and Saints as a free agent during the 2022 and 2024 seasons, respectively.
Thiero is in his rookie season after being drafted by the Nets in the second round and then shipped to the Lakers in the seven-team Kevin Durant trade that sent the former MVP to the Rockets this summer. Thiero is averaging 1.1 points in just nine games.
His arrest is part of a weird week for the Nacua family after Puka went on a bizarre rant over NFL referees during Adin Ross’ live stream. The famed streamer spoke with the Rams star after practice on Tuesday, and the wideout did not hold back on the league’s officiating.
Nacua accused officials of wanting as much camera time as the players, resulting in them making controversial calls to get on camera. Ross said he would pay any fine from the NFL that the comments cost the Los Angeles star.
“The refs are the worst. These guys are lawyers,” Nacua said. “They want to be on TV too, bro. You don’t think he’s texting his friends in the group chat like, ‘Yo, you guys just saw me on ‘Sunday Night Football.’ Like, that wasn’t [pass interference], but I called it.’”
Nacua has turned into one of the NFL’s top receivers for a Rams team that is one of the Super Bowl favorites at 11-3 heading into a “Thursday Night Football” matchup with the Seahawks this week.
He has 102 catches for 1,367 yards and six touchdowns.
