Sacramento Kings forward Matt Barnes was involved in a brutal nightclub brawl this past December in Chelsea, New York, and he’s reportedly set to turn himself in to authorities.
Barnes will surrender to police “possibly as soon as next week,” according to Rocco Parascandola of the New York Daily News.
While DeMarcus Cousins was also present at the nightclub where the brawl occurred, only Barnes is being called in for questioning, per the report.
“Among those injured were Jasmine Besiso, 26, and Myrone Powell, 35, both of whom claimed they were not involved in the initial dispute but got caught up in it when Barnes started choking the woman he was quarelling with,” wrote Parascandola.
Barnes, Cousins and others were at the Avenue in New York following a game against the New York Knicks on December 5.
According to TMZ, both Cousins and Barnes are being sued by Jasmine Besiso and Myrone Powell for their roles in the incident, during which Barnes allegedly choked Besino. In addition to allegedly choking her, Barnes also allegedly elbowed her in the face, knocking her unconscious.
Barnes, 36, is a Sacramento native. He has bounced around the NBA, starting with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2003-04, playing for nine different teams in 13 years. He is averaging 7.2 points, 2.7 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game this year for the Kings.