Sacramento Kings forward Matt Barnes turned himself in to New York police Wednesday to face misdemeanor assault charges stemming from a Dec. 5 altercation at a New York City nightclub, his publicist confirmed.
Barnes, 36, was charged with misdemeanor assault and issued a desk appearance ticket before being released, according to the New York Post. He will have to return at a later date for a court appearance.
His publicist told The Bee he is currently en route back to Sacramento, where the Kings will play the Phoenix Suns on Friday at Golden 1 Center.
Barnes is accused of choking a woman and assaulting two others at the Avenue nightclub after the Kings' loss to the New York Knicks on Dec. 4.
Barnes has maintained his innocence. His attorney, Alex Spiro, told the Post on Wednesday: "We deny the allegations and will answer in court."
The Kings completed an eight-game road trip in Houston on Tuesday night. A team spokesman issued a statement Wednesday afternoon, saying: "This is an ongoing legal process and we do not have further comment."
Kings center DeMarcus Cousins was also present during the Dec. 5 altercation but has been cleared of any wrongdoing by authorities and will not face criminal charges, according to an ESPN report Monday.
Barnes and Cousins have been named in a civil suit stemming from the incident filed by plaintiffs Jasmine Besiso, 26, and Myrone Powell, 35. Barnes has not commented on the incident but wrote on his Instagram account that, "There's always two sides to a story."
