Britney Spears is speaking after filing a police report into an incident with a member of basketball player Victor Wembanyama’s security team. Spears alleges she was slapped by the security guard Wednesday night at a restaurant in Las Vegas.
rolling stone confirmed an incident occurred and a police report was filed with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department on Thursday morning, with police saying they “responded to a property in the 3700 block of Las Vegas Boulevard Vegas regarding a battery investigation… The incident was documented on a police report, and no arrests or citations were issued.
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On Thursday, Spears released a statement to Twitter addressing the incident, alleging that the San Antonio Spurs player’s security guard “knockered me in the face without locking, in front of a crowd” and that the incident “nearly hit[ed] me down and cause[ed] my glasses on my face.
“Traumatic experiences are nothing new to me and I’ve had my fair share. I was unprepared for what happened to me last night. I recognized an athlete in the lobby of my hotel as I walked to dinner. Later, I went to another hotel’s restaurant and saw him again. I decided to approach him and congratulate him on his success,” she wrote. “I am aware of the player’s statement where he mentions ‘I grabbed him from behind’ but I told him just tapped on the shoulder.”
Wembanyama commented on the incident earlier Thursday. His security had told him not to stop and talk to people because it would draw a crowd, he told reporters, so when people approached him he kept walking. Someone “grabbed me from behind – not on my shoulders – she grabbed me from behind,” he said, correcting TMZ’s report that she hit his shoulder.
“I just know that security pushed me away. I don’t know how strong, though,” he said. “But security pushed her away. I didn’t stop to look. I kept walking and enjoyed a nice dinner. It was a fun evening.
The athlete said he didn’t know it was Spears for hours. When he returned to his hotel, his security informed him who she was. “At first I was like, ‘No, you’re kidding,'” he said. “But it turns out it was Britney Spears. I didn’t know that because I had never seen her face. I just kept walking straight, and that was it.
TMZ first reported that Spears and her husband, Sam Asghari, and two friends were having dinner at Catch at the Aria Hotel when Spears approached Wembanyama asking for a photo. Smith reportedly apologized to Spears at her table after the incident, according to TMZ.
Asghari also commented on the alleged battery in an Instagram Story, saying he “opposes violence in any form, especially without justification in defense of yourself or anyone else who is unable to defend itself.
“Self-defense may be unavoidable, but the defense of any woman, especially my wife, is not debatable,” he wrote. “I consider my reaction moderate given what happened, and I hope the man in question learns a lesson and changes his disdain for women. Thank you for your support.”
Representatives for Spears, Wembanyama and Spurs did not immediately respond to rolling stones requests for comments.
Spears would meet with Las Vegas police on Thursday.
The singer has made headlines in recent months. Recently, she denied rumors that she had drug problems, which the tabloids had reported.
“For people to claim things that aren’t true is so sad,” Spears said, calling the allegations “not true.” “Maybe it’s not even them saying such things because it doesn’t make sense to me for them to say that.” She also posted that she reconciled with her estranged mother, Lynne. “Time heals all wounds,” Britney wrote on Instagram.
This article was updated at 5:23 p.m. ET on July 6 to reflect Wembanyama’s interview with reporters and correct information based on what he said. It was also updated at 5:37 p.m. to include comments from Sam Asghari and at 6:16 p.m. to include Britney Spears’ statement.
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