NBA player Jaxson Hayes was forcefully taken down by officers who used stun guns on him early Wednesday morning in Los Angeles before he was arrested and charged with resisting arrest, police said Thursday.
The confrontation with Hayes, 21, a center for the New Orleans Pelicans, became physical after he defied officers’ orders to remain outside a residence where officers were investigating a call of a domestic dispute shortly before 3 a.m., according to a statement from the Los Angeles Police Department. Hayes tried to enter the residence despite officers blocking his path, police said.
That’s when officers attempted to place Hayes’ hands behind his back, police said. But he broke free and pushed one of the officers into a wall, according to police.
Hayes’ agent could not be immediately reached Thursday for comment.
The physical altercation between Hayes and officers was captured on body cameras, police said.
“Officers utilized physical force to take Hayes down to the ground to overcome his resistance. Once on the ground, Hayes attempted to get up and continued resisting officers,” police said in a statement. “Officers utilized two deployments of the taser, as well as bodyweight and physical force during the altercation, which lasted for approximately two and a half minutes, before officers were able to handcuff Hayes.”
Police said they first made contact with Hayes in a front yard of a residence. They later determined he was a NBA player.
The incident is under investigation, police said.
“As with all Department use of force, the incident was investigated by an uninvolved Department supervisor. During the investigation, it was requested that Force Investigation Division (FID) assess the incident due to the possibility of force being applied to Hayes’ neck during the use of force,” police said.
Hayes was treated at a hospital for injuries, police said, before he was medically cleared and booked into the Van Nuys Jail.
The New Orleans Pelicans said in a statement: “We have been made aware of the incident involving Jaxson Hayes. We are working in conjunction with the NBA and Jaxson’s representatives to gather more information and will have no further comment at this time.â€
A male officer was injured, police said, and treated at a hospital and released.
Larry Hanna, an attorney with the LAPD’s union who represents the officer allegedly pushed into the wall by Hayes, said the officer was “badly hurt.”
“He was pushed violently against a wall and blood from the officer’s head was left on the wall at the impact,” Hanna said. “Young people look up to NBA players and this type of behavior should not be tolerated.”
A female at the location of Hayes’ arrest “declined to cooperate with officers’ investigation into the original domestic dispute call,†police said.
A booking report from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department said Hayes was charged with a felony. He posted $25,000 bond Wednesday afternoon, the report said.
Hayes has a court date scheduled for January 24, 2022, records show.
Hayes, the No. 8 pick in the 2019 NBA draft, averaged 7.5 points and 4.3 rebounds for the Pelicans last season, ESPN reported.
Eric Leonard contributed.