Queens DA: NFL Linebacker Trevor Bates Punches NYPD Sergeant After Not Paying Cab Fare
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – A linebacker on the Detroit Lions is facing up to seven years in prison having he assaulted a police officer in Queens, authorities said Saturday.
According to the Queens District Attorney's officer, Trevor Bates was taken into police custody Saturday morning around 3 a.m. when the pro athlete refused to pay his cab fare outside a Hampton Inn Hotel on Ditmars Boulevard.
Sources tell CBS2 that the 25-year-old was cooperating with police until officers needed to fingerprint the linebacker. That's when Bates refused to comply with police and a sergeant at the 115th Precinct was brought in to calm the suspect down.
"The defendant then allegedly attacked an NYPD sergeant during the issuance of a desk appearance ticket for the fare beating charge," District Attorney Richard Brown said in a statement Saturday.
Bates reportedly punched the officer in the head, over his eye.
Sergeant James O'Brien was taken to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and treated for lacerations to his head that needed three stitches and a slight concussion.
Officials said that the Lions backup had to be tased by officers after he attacked O'Brien.
"The defendant is being held pending arraignment on a criminal complaint charging him with second-degree assault, obstructing governmental administration, theft of services, and resisting arrest," Queens authorities announced.
The Lions released a statement regarding the incident Saturday afternoon.
The Sergeants Benevolent Association called Bates' actions "beyond that of a wild animal" in a blistering statement posted to Twitter.
"He refused to be fingerprinted, showed disdain for the officers & decided to punch a Sgt in the face," the SBA said, before claiming "the NFL condones criminals."
The NFL says player arrests are at an all-time low, and involve less than one percent of players. There were 37 incidents involving 35 players which resulted in an arrest in 2018, nearly half the total from 2014 according to the NFL.
The league tells CBS2 Bates' actions will be reviewed under their personal conduct policy.
Bates, who was drafted in 2016 by the Indianapolis Colts, has bounced from practice squad to practice squad over the last three years.
He spent time with both the New York Giants and New England Patriots in 2017 before playing nine games for the Lions in 2018.
Bates was brought to NYC Health+Hospitals/Bellevue for a psychiatric evaluation, and faces up to seven years in jail if convicted.
