LAS VEGAS (AP) — Seattle Seahawks player Michael Bennett is accusing Las Vegas police of racially motivated excessive force after he says he was threatened at gunpoint following a report that shots were heard at a casino hotel.
Bennett posted a Twitter account early Wednesday saying police singled him out as he was running from a sharp sound following the Aug. 26 fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor.
Police Officer Jacinto Rivera says Las Vegas police are checking for video and written reports but can’t immediately verify Bennett’s account.
The 6-foot-4 defensive end says he was handcuffed face-down on the ground after one officer held a gun to his head saying he would blow his head off if he moved. Bennett, who has been a leader of the national anthem protests started by former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, was released without charges.
Seattle Seahawks’ Michael Bennett, left, talks with San Francisco 49ers’
Colin Kaepernick after an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 25, 2016, in
Seattle. The Seahawks won 37-18. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
Police later attributed the report of gunfire to the sound of velvet rope stands falling over.
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