A Division 1 school basketball participant went toe to toe with a South Florida police officer outdoors a bar full of spring breakers Wednesday, authorities mentioned. The following struggle landed the California ball participant in jail.
De’Sean Leighton Eikens, 22, is going through expenses of battery on an officer, resisting an officer with out violence, resisting an officer with violence, disorderly conduct for brawling, disturbing the peace and disturbing a public place whereas being intoxicated. He has already bonded out of jail.
Eikens performs on the California State University Northridge men’s basketball team as a guard, in accordance with ESPN. The Cal State Northridge Matadors are a Division 1 staff within the NCAA.
On Wednesday, Fort Lauderdale Police Officer Joseph Perez noticed Eikens preventing with safety employees on the Rock Bar, 219 Fort Lauderdale Seaside Blvd., an arrest report learn.
Physique cam video exhibits Eikens being thrown to the bottom by safety and Perez stepping in to select him up and escort him outdoors.
Whereas Perez pushes him out, Eikens could be heard saying “Don’t contact me,” and a brawl ensues.
The officer wrote within the report that Eikens “unexpectedly punched” his palms after which punched his face two occasions. Perez then punched Eikens within the face earlier than bringing him to the bottom, a sequence captured by physique cam footage and recorded by Perez in Eikens’ arrest report.
“The defendant was noticed to be intoxicated and underneath the affect of an unknown substance,” Perez wrote.
Because the officer waited for back-up to arrest him, Eikens instructed him a number of occasions “I can’t breathe.” Somebody out of view responded, “In case you can speak, you possibly can breathe.”
Whereas nonetheless on the bottom Eikens was additionally heard arguing with somebody who mentioned he was hit by the basketball participant.
Police took Eikens to Broward Well being Medical Middle, the place he was medically cleared, after which taken to the Broward jail.
“The defendant positioned my security in danger and prompted a crowd of individuals to encompass me as I used to be taking the defendant into custody,” Perez wrote.
