By BEN NAGLE, US SPORTS EDITOR
Published: 22:33 EST, 17 December 2025 | Updated: 22:34 EST, 17 December 2025
The brother of LA Rams football superstar Puka Nacua has been arrested for his role in the theft of an SUV belonging to LA Lakers basketball player Adou Thiero.
According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Samson Nacua, 27, was arrested with Trey Rose, also 27, for allegedly taking Thiero's car without his consent over the weekend.
Cops were called to the One Hotel in West Hollywood after the vehicle was tracked there, per a report from NBC4 Investigates, and it was then found that the suspects had valeted the car and entered the hotel.
Police then reviewed security footage and were able to identify the suspects and arrest them soon after, with both remaining behind bars as of Wednesday evening.
Nacua is the brother of Rams wide receiver Puka, who has become one of the biggest stars in the NFL over the past two seasons.
It has also been a headline-grabbing week for the NFL star himself, after he risked the wrath of league officials for some bizarre comments about referees on a live stream.
Samson Nacua, brother of Rams star Puka, has reportedly been arrested in Los Angeles
Samson and Puka played together during a successful final season of college football at BYU
Lakers rookie Adou Thiero (right, pictured with LeBron James) had his SUV stolen in LA
In a now-viral Twitch video with Adin Ross and N3on, Nacua decided to slam the league's part-time officials, alleging that they make incorrect calls in a deliberate attempt to get on television.
'The refs are the worst,' Nacua said. 'These guys are lawyers. They want to be on TV, too.
'You don't think he's texting his friends in the group chat like, "Yo, you just saw me on 'Sunday Night Football?' That wasn't PI (pass interference), but I called it".'
Samson Nacua, meanwhile, is also a talented football player in his own right, having previously been on the roster of the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints.
Samson spent time on NFL practice squads but most recently played for the Michigan Panthers
Puka (second from left) also hit the headlines this week for comments on a live Twitch stream
Also a wide receiver, he played alongside his brother Puka for BYU in the 2021 season, scoring three touchdowns and earning himself an undrafted free agent spot on the Colts.
He was let go during final roster cuts ahead of the 2022 season, and then landed in the USFL with the Pittsburgh Maulers.
Samson then bounced around, spending time with the UFL's Michigan Panthers before returning to the NFL with the Saints, failing to make the final roster for the 2024 season.
He has just finished his second stint with the Michigan Panthers, where he was involved in an unsavory incident in which he appeared to strike a fan in the face during a postgame altercation.
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