Sacramento Kings forward Matt Barnes surrendered and was subsequently released by the New York police department on Wednesday over an alleged assault at a New York nightclub in December.
Barnes has been charged with third-degree assault, a misdemeanor, after police said he was involved in an early-morning altercation at the Avenue nightclub in Chelsea.
“He was issued a ticket,” attorney Alex Spiro said. “We deny the allegations and will answer them in court.”
Last month, Jasmine Besiso and Myrone Powell filed a civil lawsuit in federal district court related to the incident, requesting a jury trial and asking for compensatory and punitive damages in excess of $75,000.
The complaint, filed in United States district court for the southern district of New York, allegeed that Barnes grabbed Besiso by the neck and began choking her at approximately 3am after a commotion broke out in the VIP area of the club.
The plaintiffs said Barnes team-mate, DeMarcus Cousins, intentionally punched Powell in the face when she attempted to come to Besiso’s aid, with Barnes subsequently elbowing Besiso in the face and knocking her unconscious. The players are then said to have jointly taken Powell to the ground, where they both intentionally and kicked him “in the head, torso and lower body”.
Cousins was cleared of wrongdoing in a NYPD investigation that concluded last week.
Barnes, who played in Sacramento’s loss in Houston on Tuesday before flying to New York, is expected to re-join the Rockets for Friday’s home game against the Phoenix Suns.
