As the USC Trojans prepare for the Holiday Bowl, left tackle Chad Wheeler is being held under protective custody for a psychological evaluation after an incident late Saturday morning that involved the police and bean-bag shotgun rounds, per NBC News.
According to the report, the LA Police were called to the scene after a man began punching walls and windows inside an off-campus apartment near the school. The man, as we now know, was Wheeler, and he was apparently under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, though no charges have yet been filed stemming from the incident.
“Wheeler was confronted by officers, got into an altercation with them, and was hit with bean bag rounds. The sources did not go into detail about the exact nature of what led police to use bean bag rounds, a less lethal form of force.”
The scariest aspect of the incident is the fact that Wheeler was reportedly inside the apartment with his girlfriend and their seven-month-old child at the time.
As of this moment, Wheeler is reportedly being held for a psychological evaluation at a local hospital, where he was escorted following the scuffle with the police.
It’s not likely Wheeler will be available for the Trojans when they hit the field on Dec. 30, though at this time his health and safety are of far greater concern.