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Britney Spears Accidentally “Hit Herself in the Face" During Run-In with NBA Star's Security, Police Say
After reviewing surveillance video, Las Vegas police came to the conclusion that the security guard for NBA player Victor Wembanyama who was involved in an altercation with Britney Spears didn't unlawfully use force against her.
No charges will be filed following a run-in between Britney Spears, NBA player Victor Wembanyama and his security team, Las Vegas police announced Friday after investigating the incident.
The pop star had alleged a member of the San Antonio Spurs rookie's security detail struck her in the face after she recognized the player at a hotel and approached him Wednesday night, but police say Spears “hit herself in the face” when someone knocked her hand off him, according to the Associated Press.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department confirmed the decision to Oxygen.com Friday, stating that the department "has concluded its investigation of the alleged battery that occurred on July 5, 2023, at 11 p.m., in the 3700 block of Las Vegas Boulevard. No charges will be filed against the person involved."
After reviewing surveillance video, authorities came to the conclusion that the security guard who was involved didn't unlawfully use force against the singer, according to the AP. Footage of the encounter “showed Britney going to tap the Spurs player on the shoulder," a police report reviewed by the AP stated. "When she touched the player (redacted) pushes her hand off of the player without looking which causes Britney’s hand to hit herself in the face.”
Spears had accused the guard of battery in a police report she filed. No one was arrested for the incident.
The pop star — famous for hits like "Toxic," "... Baby One More Time," and "Oops! ... I Did It Again" — alleged she was assaulted Wednesday night when a member of Wembanyama's security hit her as she tried to greet the player.
Spears, 41, detailed her account of the incident on Twitter Thursday, without naming Wembanyama. She said that she recognized “an athlete” in her Las Vegas hotel lobby as she was heading to dinner, and later ran into him again at another hotel’s restaurant.
She claimed that while tapping him on the shoulder to get his attention and to “congratulate him on his success,” one of the athlete’s security team members “backhanded” her in the face, knocking her glasses off.
“Traumatic experiences are not new to me and I have had my fair share of them. I was not prepared for what happened to me last night,” the pop star added.
Spears had dinner plans at Catch restaurant in the Aria hotel with her husband, Sam Asghari, along with two other friends, when the incident occurred, according to TMZ. The Aria Resort & Casino's street address lines up with the one mentioned by the Las Vegas police department in its statement about the investigation.
“I get swarmed by people all the time. In fact, that night, I was swarmed by a group of at least 20 fans. My security team didn’t hit any of them,” Spears wrote on Twitter.
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Wembanyama, 19, is expected to make his Spurs debut Friday night in the NBA Summer League, according to NBC Sports. Prior to Spears’ tweet, the Spurs rookie addressed what happened with the singer in an interview Thursday.
The NBA player said he was walking with Spurs security to a restaurant when he heard his name being called. “There was one person calling me,” he said, adding that security told him not to stop, warning him that a crowd could form.
Wembanyama said that the individual calling his name “grabbed me from behind." He said he did not see who the person was, but that the encounter prompted security to handle the situation.
“I don’t know with how much force, but security pushed her away,” Wembanyama said, adding that he was only made aware that the person was Spears a couple of hours after the encounter. “I didn’t stop to look, so I kept walking and enjoyed a nice dinner.”
Spears added in her Thursday tweet that it was “super embarrassing” to publicly discuss what happened.
“However, I think it’s important to share this story and urge people in the public eye to set an example and treat all people with respect,” she added.
According to TMZ’s reports, the security guard later found Spears at her table in the restaurant and apologized for what happened, saying, "You understand how it is when you're being swarmed by fans." He allegedly did not know it was Spears who was trying to get Wembanyama’s attention.
The pop star claimed on Twitter that she has yet to receive a “public apology from the player, his security or their organization.”
