TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Newly released body camera footage obtained by WFLA revealed an hours-long negotiation between former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown and officers with the Tampa Police Department following accusations of domestic violence at his home in Tampa.
Officers were first called to the home on Nov. 28 after Brown allegedly threw a shoe at the victim, striking her in the ponytail. While the victim had no injuries, she told authorities she believed the shoe was meant for her head.
Brown and the victim share multiple children.
In the body camera video, an officer, whose identity was not revealed, attempted to speak with Brown several times in an attempt to retrieve the victim’s personal items from the home.
“You’re not in trouble,” the officer said while speaking to Brown through a closed window. “You’re not going to get arrested.”
Brown, showing apprehension, told the officer the victim’s belongings were not in the home. A similar conversation followed for several more minutes until Brown retreated away from the window.
“He is super paranoid, man,” the officer can be heard saying. “Like super.”
As the sun set and little progress was made, authorities considered drilling through the front door lock to gain entry into the home.
“[The locksmith] is going to start drilling, [Brown] is going to come to the door. It’s going to be a confrontation, and we’ve got to do something about it,” one officer said to another. “That may anger him a little bit. Him seeing you is probably not a good idea.”
While officers decided against the idea of making a forced entry, a warrant was filed for his arrest.
Days after the warrant was publicly released, documents filed by the woman who initially accused Brown of domestic violence called for the charges against him to be dropped.
The documents stated in part that “The arrest warrant is frivolous, demeaning, prejudicial, unconstitutional, belligerent and combative.”
However, a criminal defense attorney told News Channel 8 the document “seems like a sovereign citizen-type document. It looks like it’s supposed to be an affidavit, but I can’t tell, it doesn’t appear to be prepared by a lawyer, at least not somebody who practices in Florida.”
On Dec. 21, authorities confirmed the domestic violence charge had been dropped and the warrant for his arrest had been recalled.
Brown was terminated from the Buccaneers back in January 2022.