Police drew their guns on former Dallas Cowboys star Dez Bryant after callers reported a possible weapon in a parking-lot fight, then cuffed him in front of his daughters, found no gun and cited him for knocking a phone out of another driver’s hand.
Story Highlights
- Bryant says a Southlake, Texas, officer pointed a gun at him and ordered him to the ground as his two daughters watched
- Police say several 911 callers reported a fight and a possible weapon, so officers drew their guns as a precaution
- No firearms were found, and Bryant was cited for “assault by contact,” a Class C misdemeanor, the lowest grade of crime in Texas
- Bryant admits knocking a phone from a 19-year-old’s hand but says he was the one threatened, and he wants a full investigation
- On Monday, October 26, the 19-year-old whose phone was knocked away said he plans to sue Bryant, and both young men want a public apology, according to reports.
What Police Say Happened
Officers were called around 12:59 p.m. on Sunday, October 25, to a retail parking lot in the 2200 block of FM 1709 in Southlake, a suburb between Dallas and Fort Worth. Police said several callers reported “a fight involving multiple people” and “a possible weapon.” Officers drew their guns when they arrived “as a precaution,” police said, and several people were briefly detained. No firearms were recovered.
Bryant, 37, played eight seasons for the Cowboys and made three Pro Bowls. Police handcuffed him and the two other men, questioned them one by one and placed Bryant in a police car. He was then cited and released at the scene, and the other men were allowed to leave. The citation is for “assault by contact,” a Class C misdemeanor, the lowest grade of crime in Texas, with a fine of up to $500. It says he must appear in Southlake Municipal Court on or before November 20.
What Dez Bryant Says Happened Beside His Daughters
Bryant said two young men in two cars cut him off and drove recklessly into the lot of the restaurant where he was also headed. He said he told them to stop, and an argument followed. He said one of the men threatened to shoot him but never pulled a gun. When the man raised his phone to record, Bryant said, “I knocked the phone out of his hand.” He called his actions self-defense.
Bryant said an officer drew a gun and ordered him to the ground. Footage he provided shows an officer aiming a gun in his direction while Bryant lies on the ground in handcuffs next to the two other men. His girlfriend had arrived with his two daughters and recorded what happened. “I was really more so concerned about my children,” he said. He also asked why an officer pointed a rifle at him. Bryant said police relied on the other man’s phone video, and he asked them to pull surveillance footage of the driving. “I felt like it was very one-sided,” he said. “There’s only one real victim here… and that’s me,” he wrote online.
What the Other Two Men Say
The two men, Noah Reyes and Terrance Avery, are both 19. They deny cutting Bryant off or driving recklessly, and they deny that anyone threatened to shoot him. They said they had honked at each other as a joke on the way to lunch, and that Bryant followed them into the lot. “We’re not legally allowed to have a gun,” Avery said. Video the young men provided shows Bryant shouting at Reyes and knocking the phone from his hand.
Reyes said Bryant threatened to stomp his face into the pavement, and Avery said Bryant “didn’t flash a gun, but he sure acted like he had one.” On Monday, October 26, Reyes said he plans to sue Bryant, and both young men said they want a public apology, according to reports. These are the young men’s accusations, and Bryant disputes their version of events.
Why This Matters for Families and Trust
Police say they acted on what callers told them before they arrived: a fight and a possible weapon. Bryant says that left him face down at gunpoint in front of his children over a phone. Body-worn camera video and the 911 calls would show what officers heard and saw, and neither has been made public in reports so far. Bryant says he gets along well with local officers and asks for one thing. “Treat everybody fair,” he said. “Treat everybody with respect.”
Sources:
foxnews.com, nbcdfw.com, cbsnews.com, kltv.com, nbcsports.com, sports.yahoo.com, sports.yahoo.com