Shocking new police video has emerged showing bloodied Houston Rockets guard Sterling Brown after he was assaulted outside of the Booby Trap, a Miami-area strip club, in the early hours of April 19.
As sources told The Athletic, Brown, 26, entered the wrong van on his way out of the club that night and got into an argument with the vehicle’s other occupants, who jumped him, beat him, and hit him over the head with a bottle, causing a serious head wound.
Police say Brown and teammate Kevin Porter Jr. were not cooperative when speaking with officers after the assault. Arrests have not been made in the case.
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Brown reportedly needed stitches for facial lacerations, but is expected to make a full recovery after teammates and coaches privately feared for his life.
‘If he hadn’t been as physically strong and tough, he might not have made it out of the situation (Sunday) night,’ one source told The Athletic. ‘He could have died.’
In the footage, some of which was muted by Miami police, a shirtless Brown is seen holding a white t-shirt to his face to soak up the blood pouring down his body as teammate Kevin Porter Jr. argues with several officers.
Porter, who was also reportedly roughed up in the altercation, can be heard telling police they were the targets of a robbery.
Miami police are investigating the interactions between the officers and the two Rockets teammates, according to Andy Slater of Fox Sports 640 South Florida, who first posted the video on Twitter.
The struggling Rockets had arrived in Miami on Sunday, April 18, after beating the Magic in Orlando earlier that day.
That night, a group of players took a roughly 20-minute cab ride from their hotel in the Miami suburb of Coral Gables to the Booby Trap, where they remained until the early hours of Monday morning, according to The Athletic.
Upon leaving the club, Brown inadvertently entered the wrong vehicle, and became involved in a fight with three or more individuals, sources told The Athletic.
Although some teammates had already left for the night, a group of Rockets players, including Porter, reportedly stepped in to defend Brown.
There are reportedly concerns that the Rockets players failed to follow NBA pandemic protocols, which could explain why the teammates were reluctant to file a report.
‘Upon attempting to assist both males, and gather information as to what occurred, both males became belligerent and refused to cooperate,’ read the incident report, obtained by The Athletic. ‘Several attempts were made to gather information from (from Brown), who kept insisting he did not want to provide his information, he only wanted rescue to take him to the hospital.’
The league is currently investigating the matter.
Priority Sports, an agency representing Brown, is working with a private investigator to help Miami police in the matter, according to The Athletic.
Brown signed with the Rockets in November after starting his career with the Milwaukee Bucks.
He first made national news in 2018 when he was arrested by Milwaukee police, tackled, and tasered after parking illegally outside of a closed pharmacy.
Brown sued the city over the incident and was awarded $750,000 in a settlement.
Video of the confrontation shows an officer approaching Brown in the Walgrees parking lot at around 2am.
When their conversation became tense, the officer called more squad cars for help and eventually eight officers arrived and encircled Brown.
One asked Brown to take his hands out of his pockets and a second or two later the scuffle began. Almost immediately, an officer is heard yelling: ‘Taser! Taser! Taser!’
Eight other officers were ordered to undergo remedial training in professional communications following the confrontation.
According to Brown’s lawsuit, Erik Andrade, one of the officers involved, mocked Brown on Facebook as he was being detained, saying, ‘Nice meeting Sterling Brown of the Milwaukee Bucks at work this morning! Lol#FearTheDeer.’
In another post, Andrade referred to a now-former Cleveland Cavaliers guard: ‘I hope JR Smith double parks in Walgreens handicap Parkin (sic) spots when he’s in Milwaukee!’
Andrade was later fired over the posts.
Brown has become one of the NBA’s leading voices for social justice since the incident. In August, he and his Bucks teammates boycotted their game against the Orlando Magic in response to the police killing of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
