Dallas Mavericks assistant coach and former player Darrell Armstrong was arrested Saturday morning on charges of aggravated assault against his girlfriend.
Dallas police responded to a report of a disturbance at 3:45 am. After investigating, officers determined that Armstrong and his girlfriend had been in an argument. The affidavit, obtained by Fox 4 in Dallas, claims that Armstrong hit his girlfriend with a gun and threatened to shoot her. The quarrel began when Armstrong’s girlfriend questioned him about a text message to another woman, the report states.
Armstrong’s girlfriend claims he had been out all night drinking and demanded the keys to her apartment. The alleged assault with the handgun occurred while the Mavs assistant was on the phone with another person, the victim states.
The former NBA player’s girlfriend claims he said, “‘I’m going to shoot you.'”
The Mavericks issued a statement regarding the arrest of their assistant coach.
“The Dallas Mavericks are aware of an incident involving a member of our staff and are gathering all relevant information surrounding the incident,” the statement says via FOX 4. “We take this matter seriously. The employee has been placed on administrative suspension pending the outcome of legal proceedings.
“This matter is currently under review by the appropriate legal authorities. Due to this fact, we will allow the legal process to run its course and we will refrain from further comment while proceedings are ongoing.”
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Armstrong’s attorney, Larry Taylor, lauded his client’s “upstanding” status in the Dallas community while announcing the start of his investigation.
“We are in the preliminary stages of conducting our own independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding yesterday’s incident involving my client Darrell Armstrong,” the statement read. “Mr. Armstrong has been an upstanding member of the Dallas community during his playing days and as a coach. We will have more to say about this incident in the coming days.”
Armstrong spent three years playing internationally before beginning his NBA career. He spent nine of his 14-year NBA career as a member of the Orlando Magic, where he is enshrined in that team’s Hall of Fame. In addition to playing in Orlando, Armstrong also played for Dallas, New Orleans, Indiana, and New Jersey.
