Former Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Damon Arnette has been indicted on assault and gun charges stemming from an incident in Las Vegas in January 2022.
The 26-year-old cornerback was selected with the 19th overall pick by the Raiders in the 2020 NFL Draft. A former second-team All-Big Ten selection at Ohio State, the 6-foot cornerback’s NFL career lasted less than three years.
- Damon Arnette stats (NFL): 23 solo tackles in 13 games
He was released by the Raiders in November 2021, following a string of off-field issues. Arnette was the subject of a lawsuit for an alleged hit-and-run in 2020, with the suit claiming that Arnette crashed into a vehicle on Oct. 14, 2020, and caused serious injuries. Days after the Raiders were made aware of the lawsuits, a video emerged on social media showing Arnette waving a gun around and threatening to kill someone.
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A month after his release, Arnette signed with the Miami Dolphins practice squad in December 2021. When his contract expired in January, he signed a reserve/futures contract with the Kansas City Chiefs. Then, his NFL career ended following another off-field incident.
Arnette was arrested by Las Vegas Metro police officers on Jan. 28, 2022, on charges of carrying a concealed weapon without a permit, two drug charges and assault with a deadly weapon. Shortly after his arrest, he was released by the Chiefs.
Prosecutors dropped all charges against Arnette in July 2022. However, per KLAS in Las Vegas, a grand jury ruled this past week to indict Arnette on assault with a deadly weapon and carrying a concealed weapon without a permit.
According to police documents, Arnette was in a parking lot when a Park MGM parking attendant asked him for his valet ticket, which he threw out. When Arnette was then asked for more information about his car to confirm its identity, the former Raiders’ cornerback told the attendant to “Give me my (expletive keys” and then he said he heard the sound of a gun cocking.
Arnette was later stopped by police at a gas station on Las Vegas Boulevard and believed his car was stolen. The grand jury also heard testimony from one of the officers on-scene.
“I was able to see Mr. Arnette standing by the vehicle that he claimed was his and he was confrontational and I saw him reach down into his waistband of his sweatpants and pull out what appeared to be a gun and place it into the driver’s side door, which at that point was open.”
Las Vegas police officer on the arrest of Damon Arnette
Arnette denied pointing the gun at anyone, with his attorney arguing that the district attorney’s office reviewed the case and their findings corroborated “what Damon told the police that he never carried or pointed a gun at anyone.”
Both Raiders’ first-round picks from the 2020 NFL Draft – Arnette and wide receiver Henry Ruggs III – are no longer on NFL rosters because of arrests during their playing career.
