Southlake Police Cite Dez Bryant for Assault After Parking Lot Dispute

Dez Bryant, 37, received an assault citation from Southlake police on October 25 following a dispute in a retail parking lot. Officers released him at the scene after temporarily detaining him and two other men involved in the incident.

Police responded to the area near FM 1709 and Kimball Avenue at approximately 12:59 p.m. on October 25. Callers reported a fight involving multiple people and a possible weapon. Officers drew their firearms as a precaution during the response. They recovered no guns at the scene, according to a department statement.

The confrontation began after Bryant reported that another motorist had cut him off in traffic. Both parties entered the parking lot, where an argument developed. Bryant stated that one of the men made comments he interpreted as a threat to shoot him. He acknowledged that he warned the man he would retaliate if the man pulled a gun and then failed to use it.

Bryant said the man began recording him with a cellphone instead of using a weapon. Bryant said he knocked the phone out of the man's hand. He noted that his daughters witnessed the encounter and that he acted in self-defense.

Video provided by Bryant shows him lying face down with his hands cuffed behind his back. An officer stands nearby holding a long gun in the footage. Two other men also lie on the pavement during the detention. Bryant accused officers of relying on the other man’s recording without sufficiently examining what led to the confrontation.

Police cited Bryant for assault by contact, a Class C misdemeanor. The citation marks his status as not arrested. It directs him to appear at Southlake Municipal Court on or before November 20 at 5 p.m.

Bryant spent eight seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. The team selected him in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He is a three-time Pro Bowl receiver.