Dez Bryant Says Officers Drew Guns Before Daughters After Traffic Dispute

WHO:

Chron - Bryant is also a former Baltimore Ravens wide receiver.

NY Post - A 19-year-old barber, described as the alleged assault victim, told The Post what he said set off the confrontation.

NY Post - Dez Bryant, a former Dallas Cowboys star, was handcuffed by police during an altercation outside a restaurant in Texas.

Daily Mail Sports - Bryant said officers held him at gunpoint in front of his family, including his young daughters, after a road-rage incident.

Fox News - Bryant said the confrontation involved two men whose vehicles he accused of reckless driving and one man he said threatened to shoot him.

Fox News - Bryant’s girlfriend arrived with his two daughters and recorded the encounter.

Fox News - Bryant said he has positive relationships with individual Southlake officers, including an officer connected with his son’s Southlake Carroll football team.

Fox News - Bryant played eight seasons for Dallas, earned three Pro Bowl selections and All-Pro honors in 2014, and recorded 531 catches, 7,459 receiving yards and 73 receiving touchdowns with the Cowboys.

WHAT:

Chron - Bryant said the cars’ occupants were honking back and forth, and that one car jumped in front of him when the light turned green.

Chron - Bryant said he was in his vehicle with his daughters when police arrived; his partner came to the scene to get the children.

NY Post - The barber said Bryant told him, “You going to die today.”

Fox News - Bryant described the officers’ action as leaving him “on the ground with a gun pointed at me” in front of his children.

Fox News - Bryant said he repeatedly characterized his actions as self-defense.

NY Post - Police handcuffed Bryant and pointed at least one large gun at him.

Fox News - Bryant said a responding officer drew a gun and ordered the men to the ground. Video provided to OutKick showed an officer aiming a gun toward Bryant and Bryant lying handcuffed beside the other two men.

Fox News - Bryant acknowledged knocking a phone from one man’s hand after the man began recording him.

Fox News - Bryant received an “Assault by Contact” citation; it marked “Arrest: No.” He said officers questioned the men separately, put him in a police vehicle, then released him with the citation. He said the other men were allowed to leave.

Fox News - Texas law generally classifies assault involving offensive or provocative physical contact as a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $500. The citation did not specify a statutory subsection.

WHERE:

Chron - Chiloso Mexican Bistro was minutes from Southlake Carroll, where Bryant’s son Dez Jr. plays football.

NY Post - The barber described the confrontation as occurring just outside a Southlake restaurant.

Fox News - The incident occurred in a Southlake, Texas, parking lot at 2251 E. Southlake Blvd., the address listed for Chiloso Mexican Bistro.

NY Post - The altercation took place outside a restaurant in Texas.

WHY:

Fox News - Bryant said he wanted officers to take everyone to the police station and conduct a proper investigation rather than rely on one person’s account.

Fox News - Bryant said his standing in the Southlake community, particularly among children who look up to him, motivated him to speak publicly.

Fox News - Bryant said the encounter began when two vehicles cut him off and drove recklessly. He said he tried to tell their occupants to drive more safely.

Fox News - Bryant said one man threatened to shoot him. Bryant said he responded, “You pull that gun, I’m telling you right now, you better use it because if you don’t I’m going to do something to you,” but said the man did not draw a gun.

Fox News - Bryant said he wanted officers to investigate the alleged threat and review available surveillance footage; he called the police response “very one-sided.”

Fox News - Bryant said concern for his children motivated him to speak publicly and that his reputation mattered to him.

HOW:

Chron - Bryant said he had the right to protect himself after the other driver threatened to call police.

Fox News - Bryant said he used profanity when confronting the drivers, then knocked a phone from one man’s hand after asking him to stop recording.

Fox News - Bryant said an officer told him he had to be “the bigger person.” He called for officers to “Treat everybody fair” and “Do your due diligence on what’s actually going on.”

Fox News - The citation instructed Bryant to appear at Southlake Municipal Court on or before Nov. 20 at 5 p.m.

Former Dallas Cowboys star Dez Bryant was handcuffed at gunpoint during a confrontation in a Southlake, Texas, restaurant parking lot, then released with an “Assault by Contact” citation marked as no arrest. Bryant said two drivers cut him off and drove recklessly, and that one threatened to shoot him; a 19-year-old barber identified as the alleged victim told The Post that Bryant threatened, “You going to die today.” Bryant acknowledged knocking a phone from one man’s hand, said he acted in self-defense and urged police to investigate the alleged threat and review surveillance footage.