Kings' Matt Barnes Accused Of Choking Woman In NYC Club After 'Butt Bump'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The NYPD wants to speak to Sacramento Kings forward Matt Barnes, following an alleged incident at a Manhattan club.
Barnes is accused of choking a woman during an early Monday morning altercation inside Avenue Nightclub, located at 116 10th Ave.
Sources told CBS2 that Barnes also allegedly assaulted a man and another woman who attempted to intervene, and that he had left the club by the time police arrived.
Police said two of the victims were treated for minor injuries at Lenox Hill hospital.
Barnes was in town because the Kings played the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night.
A representative of Barnes' told TMZ.com later Monday that the player accidentally "butt bumped" a woman inside the club and that he merely defended himself after she and members of her entourage attacked him.
Barnes' representative Alex Spiro told ESPN that they have been cooperating with the authorities.
"We do not believe a crime was committed, and are hopeful no charges will be pressed.
As CBS2's Otis Livingston reported, Barnes took to Instagram to defend himself on Monday.
"There's always two sides to a story.. The side the media consistently tries to paint of me.... And what actually happened! Don't believe everything you read," he wrote in a post.
Barnes may have been referring to a story that came out last year.
Barnes, 36, was suspended two games by the NBA last season after he reportedly got into a fight and threatened former Knicks coach Derek Fisher in October 2015. The league said that incident happened after Fisher attended a gathering at the home of Barnes' estranged wife, Gloria Govan.
Sacramento, a Western Conference team, is not scheduled to return to the Garden this season, they have already played the Nets in Brooklyn.
