Lakers security guard arrested for allegedly stealing championship rings

Things just got a little interesting for the Lakers and we're not talking about the return of star player Kobe Bryant.

A security guard was arrested for allegedly stealing two Lakers championship rings and $20,000 in gift cards. The El Segundo Police Department says 23-year-old Eddie Monterroso, who worked at a Lakers training facility, was arrested Tuesday outside the training facility.

Monterroso reportedly worked at the Lakers' training facility for a year before his arrest. He apparently stole two championship rings from the 2009 and 2010 seasons. The rings had been missing since earlier this month.

Police searched the suspect's home Dec. 10 and made a find that "yielded evidence of the theft as well as the championship rings."

Monterroso is facing charges of burglary and grand theft. According to the Los Angeles Times, the gift cards were going to be used by the team to give away as donations to community groups for Christmas.

The police were able to retrieve only $6,000 in the gift cards. The gift cards were for major retailers, such as Macy's and Target.  Some of the gift cards were valued at $100 each.

According to Lt. Jaime Bermudez, a spokesman for the El Segundo Police Department, Monterroso used the gift cards to purchase video games and game consoles. It is believed that he sold some of the other gift cards.

This is a really unfortunate situation considering the holidays are right around the corner. Hopefully, the organization is able to still carry out their charitable work.