Gophers G Daquein McNeil Charged With Assault
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/AP) — Minnesota sophomore guard Daquein McNeil has been charged with two felony counts of assault.
The 20-year-old McNeil was charged Wednesday with third-degree assault and domestic assault by strangulation. He was being held in the Hennepin County jail.
A criminal complaint accuses the Baltimore native of assaulting a woman he had been dating the past 10 months. The complaint said McNeil attacked the woman at her apartment on Monday, dragging her from her bed, pouring alcohol and cold water on her repeatedly and eventually choking her and hitting her with a belt. He also used a wet dish towel and to whip he and placed it over her mouth.
The victim was eventually able to get out of the apartment and run to a neighbor for help. She had large welts, marks all over her body, was bleeding from a cut on her wrist and had a reddish mark on her neck from where McNeil strangled her, according to the complaint.
McNeil already fled before police officers arrived. Inside the apartment, officers found a wet rag and belt the victim described. The victim said McNeil had taken her phone, her iPad, computer, keys to her car and her actual car, the complaint said.
Officers later located and arrested McNeil, who still had the victim's phone on him. The victim's car was also parked outside his house, according to the complaint.
McNeil was suspended from the team on Tuesday while the university said it was gathering information on the case. Minnesota athletic director Norwood Teague said McNeil will remain suspended from the team as his case makes its way through court. He was averaging 3.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in nearly 19 minutes per game.
"We will not tolerate domestic assault from any of our staff or student-athletes," Teague said Wednesday, a day after the suspension.
University President Eric Kaler said he agrees with Teague's decision to suspend McNeil, and that the university will review the case in relation to the student conduct code.
"The University of Minnesota and I have zero tolerance for domestic abuse and other forms of relationship violence," Kaler's statement said.
If convicted, McNeil could face up to 5 years for his third-degree assault charge and up to 3 years for his domestic assault charge.
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