Britney Spears accidentally punched herself in the face in Vegas: cops

LAS VEGAS –

No charges will be filed following a brief investigation into the altercation involving pop star Britney Spears, San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama and a member of the player’s security team, Las Vegas police said Friday after determining they accidentally punched himself in the face.

Spears said she was beaten by a security guard Wednesday night when she tried to approach Wembanyama near a restaurant in a Las Vegas casino complex. Wembanyama said a person, who he later discovered was Spears, grabbed him from behind.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said Spears punched herself when someone shoved her hand from Wembanyama as she reached out to tag the No. 1 overall.

In its investigation, which has now been completed, police have determined that the guard did not intentionally or unlawfully use force against Spears. No arrests were made and no one was named, the report said.

In the report, police said surveillance footage of the event “shows Britney about to tap the Spurs player on the shoulder. She’s going to face.”

Spears reported the battery to the police.

Wembanyama will make his NBA Summer League debut for the Spurs in Las Vegas on Friday night. The 7-foot-3 French teen was the No. 1 pick in last month’s NBA draft and is entering the league with as much praise as anyone since LeBron James in 2003.

The altercation took place Wednesday night; Spears said she recognized Wembanyama at another hotel earlier in the evening and when she saw him again at the Aria Resort & Casino she “decided to approach him and congratulate him on his success”.

Spears said: “His security then shook my hand in the face without looking back, in front of a crowd. He nearly knocked me over and caused my glasses to fall off my face.”

Police interviewed Spurs and Spears guards, both of whom said pushing a hand off someone’s shoulder is a standard response, the report said. The Spurs guard said he spoke to Spears afterwards, identified himself and apologized. Spears’ security team said she also apologized, the police report said.

Spears’ attorney in Los Angeles, Mathew Rosengart, did not immediately respond to phone and email messages about the police report on Friday.

Spears said in posts on Twitter and Instagram on Thursday that the confrontation was “super embarrassing” and denied grabbing Wembanyama, saying she only “tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention”. She also said she hoped to get an apology from the team or security guard she said she was involved with.

Wembanyama had a different account of events. He said security advised him not to stop for anyone as he walked into the restaurant, aware that pausing could cause a commotion and create a crowd. He said a person yelled “sir, sir” at him, “and that person grabbed me from behind,” he said.

Hours later, he was told that person was Spears. He never saw her, he said, because he never turned around.

——

Associated Press journalists Ken Ritter and Rio Yamat in Las Vegas contributed to this report.