WEST HOLLYWOOD, California (AP) — Actor Robert Downey Jr thanked authorities yesterday for arresting his 20-year-old son on suspicion of cocaine possession and said the family was determined to get him the help he needs.

Indio Falconer Downey was taken into custody on Sunday afternoon after a car he was riding in was pulled over in West Hollywood, authorities said.

Over the years, his father had a series of high-profile drug-related arrests.

“Unfortunately, there’s a genetic component to addiction and Indio has likely inherited it,” Robert Downey, Jr said in a statement. “We’re grateful to the Sheriff’s Department for their intervention, and believe Indio can be another recovery success story instead of a cautionary tale.”

Indio Downey was booked on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance, believed to be cocaine, and possession of drug paraphernalia, sheriff’s Sgt Dave Valentine said.

He was later released after posting US$10,250 bail. A court date was set for August 29.

Two other people were in the car, but only Downey was arrested.

He appeared in the 2005 movie Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which starred his father.

Minaj at BET Awards: I was recently near death

Nicki Minaj told the crowd at the BET Awards that she was close to death recently — an experience that has helped her be herself.

The rapper rambled onstage when accepting her fifth consecutive win for best female hip-hop artiste, where she thanked Lil Wayne for his support, talked about writing her own lyrics and about getting the credit she deserves in the industry.

“The other day, literally I didn’t tell anybody this, I really thought I was about to die. Like, I was saying my prayers to die. And I didn’t even want to call the ambulance because I thought, ‘Well if I call the ambulance, it’s going to be on TMZ,'” she said, as some of the audience laughed.

“And I would rather sit there and die,” she added, looking to the crowd. “And it made me realise I don’t care what anybody got to say. I’m going to do me.”

Minaj performed her latest single, Pills N Potions, and also won best group with her Young Money bandmates, which includes Lil Wayne and Drake.

A video of Beyonce and Jay Z performing Partition closed the BET Awards, which aired live from the Nokia Theatre LA. Live on Sunday.

Pharrell’s ubiquitous Happy kept a smile on the musician’s face: The song won video of the year. His win for the top prize came in the second hour of the four-hour ceremony. Last year, the network didn’t announce the top award in the jam-packed show.

Pharrell thanked his family, fans who elevated the song to No 1 and BET for its support.

“(BET) allows us as black people to be different and do what we do,” he told the crowd. “You guys keep the lights on for us.”

UK TV host guilty of indecent assault

LONDON, England (AP) — Television entertainer Rolf Harris, known to generations of children in Britain and Australia for his friendly screen presence, was found guilty yesterday of a string of indecent assaults on young girls that took place from the ’60s to the ’80s.

The conviction marked a stunning reversal for Harris, 84, a fixture on children’s TV who was as popular as “Captain Kangaroo” in the United States. The judge said Harris should expect prison time when he is sentenced Friday.

The man who appeared in hundreds of TV shows and even painted an official portrait of Queen Elizabeth II will likely now be remembered chiefly as a sexual predator.

A jury found the Australian-born broadcaster guilty of 12 counts of indecent assault on four victims aged 19 or younger.

Prosecutor Jenny Hopkins said Harris’ victims all reported a similar pattern of abuse by a man who believed he could act without fear of consequences.

“Rolf Harris used his status and position as a world-famous children’s entertainer to sexually assault young girls over a period spanning 18 years,” she said, adding that the victims had “suffered in silence” for decades.

Among the victims was a close friend of his daughter Bindi who told the court that Harris had sexually abused her numerous times when she was a teenager.

Prosecutors said Harris told police the relationship was consensual and only started after the girl reached 18.

The prosecution described Harris as having a “Jekyll and Hyde” personality divided between a generous, kind side and a dark side that believed he could get away with sex crimes against young girls because he was too famous and powerful to be brought to justice.

Prosecutors said the victims did not know each other and had come forward independently to report the abuse.

During the trial — which saw Harris accompanied to court on most days by his wife Alwen and daughter — six witnesses who were not part of the criminal case testified that Harris had assaulted them. One said she was 11 or 12 when Harris told her he wanted to be the first person to teach her how to tongue kiss.

Harris was well-loved in Britain, where he performed for the queen’s Diamond Jubilee concert in 2012. He was also known for musical hits including the novelty song “Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport” and had performed once with the Beatles.

He is one of several veteran entertainers in the UK to face sex charges since TV host Jimmy Savile was exposed as a serial child molester after his death in 2011.