Report: Police Have a Warrant for the Arrest of Antonio Brown on Attempted Murder Charges

Prince Williams. Getty Images.

Retirement means different things to different people. Some kick back, relax, and live off the fruits of their labor. For others is about being busier than they were in their careers, tackling projects they'd put off when they were living the 40-plus-hour grind. But when didn't so much retire as make your last official act going all Shirtless O'Clock and storming off the job in the middle of a workday as Antonio Brown did, you're probably not in for the typical quiet, normal life of a retiree. 

Which he proved last month:

CNN - Antonio Brown was briefly detained by police early Saturday following an altercation in which gunshots were fired outside a celebrity boxing event in Miami, according to the former NFL star and video posted to social media.       

Miami police confirmed in a written statement that officers responded to the area at about 3 a.m. …

Video posted to social media showed Brown involved in a fight with several people at the boxing event, which was hosted by popular streamer Adin Ross. He was seen apparently holding a black pistol as he pursued someone. Shots could be heard off camera shortly thereafter.       

Additional video showed Brown, hands behind his back, being escorted from the venue by an officer.       

Brown posted on social media that he had been “jumped by multiple individuals who tried to steal my jewelry and cause physical harm to me.”       

“Police temporarily detained me until they received my side of the story and then released me. I WENT HOME THAT NIGHT AND WAS NOT ARRESTED,” Brown wrote.       

Brown’s statement did not mention the gunshots.    

Yeah, about that all caps "WAS NOT ARRESTED." That's a statement that was factually true back when Brown posted it, but won't be for much longer:

Source -  Authorities in Miami-Dade County are seeking to arrest former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown on a charge of attempted murder stemming from a shooting at a celebrity boxing event in May, according to a warrant reviewed by The Washington Post.

The warrant, which was signed by a judge Wednesday, lists a charge of attempted murder with a firearm and calls for Brown to post a $10,000 bond and remain under house arrest pending trial. Efforts to reach Brown, 36, were unsuccessful Thursday evening. …

Patrons in the parking lot told officers that Brown was the shooter, according to the warrant, which also states that Brown had no weapon on him when officers patted him down. Investigators found two spent shell casings and an empty gun holster, according to the warrant. …

According to the warrant, Miami police detectives later obtained video footage that appears to show Brown punching another man, sparking a melee, and the footage later shows Brown appearing to take the gun of a security officer and running toward the man he had punched. According to the warrant, cellphone video captures two gunshots as Brown approaches the victim and includes the victim ducking.

On May 21, according to the warrant, detectives met with the alleged victim, who told them that after the initial fight had been broken up, Brown “began to run toward him with a firearm” and shot at him twice, possibly grazing his neck. … The man identified Brown on the surveillance footage and said he has known him since 2022, according to the warrant.

Before we go any further, let me satisfy the legal team. Allegedly. Reportedly. According to the warrant. Accused of. Suspected of. Day in court. Presumption of innocence. Habeus corpus. There. Happy now? Damn your oily hides!

With that disclaimer issued, and to state the obvious, things are not looking good for Brown. You can protest on X about how unfair all the early reports are and how the police sent you on your way on the night in question to slumber peaceably in your own bed and all. But an empty holster is hard to explain. Unless it's some new kind of fashion accessory none of us are aware of. Two spent shell casings would mean two shots fired, at least to your average American jury. And I don't know how he's going to even begin to beat the rap on this if Miami-Dade's Finest have actual video of AB actually firing two actual shots in the direction of a complaining witness who has the scar on his neck to prove it. Again, allegedly. 

Advertisement

I mean, I'm sure at some point in his 146 career games and 1,400 targets, Brown argued with an official to check the replay, claiming he got both feet in bounds or survived the ground on a catch or something. But if he's on video aiming a gun at a guy and squeezing off two rounds, after further review it seems to me the call on the field of "NOT ARRESTED" has to be reversed.. Unless his legal team can bring Gene Skerator to the stand to say the evidence has to be clear and convincing and that angle isn't definitive enough. 

Otherwise it sounds Antonio Brown is in a world of legal hurt this morning. Which is more or less where a lot of us were thinking his post-football life was headed. Call this situation outrageous. Say the videos are scary:

Just don't claim nobody could've possibly seen this coming. Let's all just be grateful Brown's aim is as bad as his (alleged) judgment or things would be a hell of a lot worse.