Ex-NFL Star Dez Bryant Cited for Assault in Texas Parking Lot Dispute
A 19-year-old barber alleges the former Cowboys player threatened to kill him and struck his hand during an altercation.
Former NFL star Dez Bryant was cited for assault by contact following a dispute in a Southlake, Texas, parking lot on Sunday, according to police and the alleged victim.
Noah Reyes, a 19-year-old barber, told The Post that Bryant became aggressive after Reyes and a friend, Terrance Avery, honked their horns and revved their car engines near Bryant's vehicle. Reyes stated that Bryant followed them to their lunch destination, exited his car, and began shouting threats.
"You better not park that car and get out or I’ll stomp your face into this pavement," Reyes recounted Bryant saying. According to Reyes, Bryant accused him of reaching for a gun in his car, prompting Bryant to reach into his own vehicle and allegedly say, "You going to die today. I’ma shoot you. I’ma kill you. You’re not going to live to see another day."
Avery corroborated the account, stating that while Bryant didn't display a weapon, "he sure acted like he had one."
Reyes said he pulled out his phone to record the encounter, at which point Bryant allegedly struck the phone out of his hand, shattering its screen protector. Bryant then allegedly picked up the phone and slammed it to the ground. Reyes claims Bryant then punched him on the hand as he retrieved his phone.
Southlake Police confirmed officers responded to reports of an altercation involving multiple individuals and a possible weapon around 12:59 p.m. Police drew their firearms upon arrival as a precaution. Several individuals were temporarily detained, but no firearms were recovered. Bryant was issued a citation for Assault by Contact, a Class C misdemeanor, and released at the scene.
Reyes stated his intention to file a lawsuit against Bryant and called for a public apology. "He’s ruining my reputation at the end of the day," Reyes said.
Bryant, in an interview with Outkick, claimed the teenagers were driving recklessly and that he acted in self-defense after one of them allegedly threatened to shoot him. "I knocked the phone out of his hand," Bryant said, adding, "And first thing he said was, I’m fitting to call the police. I said, ‘Call them. You’re threatening me, so it’s all good. I have the right to protect myself.'"
Bryant is scheduled for a court hearing on November 20 regarding the citation.