Britney Spears accuses Victor Wembanyama’s security forces of making them “careless” and says “physical violence” is inappropriate
BRITNEY Spears has slammed an NBA star’s security guard for “giving her a backhand” as she approached the basketball player in Las Vegas.
The Toxic singer took to social media to share her side of the story about what happened between her and NBA star Victor Wembanyama’s security guard on Wednesday.
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Britney shared a lengthy statement on her Instagram story.
She began: “Traumatic experiences are nothing new to me and I’ve been through quite a bit. I wasn’t prepared for what happened to me last night.”
“I recognized an athlete at my hotel when I went to dinner. Later I went to a restaurant in another hotel and saw him again. I decided to approach him and congratulate him on his success. It was very loud, so I patted him on the shoulder to get his attention.
“I know the player’s statement where he said ‘I grabbed him from behind’ but I just slapped him on the shoulder. Then his security guard slapped me in the face in the back in front of a crowd without looking back. I almost fell over.” and my glasses fell off my face.
“I get swarmed by people all the time. Actually this evening. I was swarmed by a group of at least 20 fans. My security forces did not hit any of them.”
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She went on to explain that it was “extremely embarrassing to share” what happened.
She continued, “I think it’s important to share this story and to ask people in the public eye to set an example and treat all people with respect.”
“Physical violence happens too often in this world. Often behind closed doors. I stand by the side of all victims and my sympathy goes out to you all!!! I have yet to receive a public apology from the player, his security service or… their organization. I hope they will…
“I appreciate the tremendous love and support I am currently receiving. Thank you to the Las Vegas Police Department and investigators for their support,” she concluded.
WHAT HAPPENED
The confrontation took place at a Las Vegas casino on Wednesday when the pop star was visiting the Catch Restaurant at the ARIA Hotel.
At around 8:30 p.m., Britney, 41, and her husband Sam Asghari, 29, entered the casino and were immediately swarmed by fans, according to a report by TMZ.
The couple then went to Catch and as they entered the restaurant, the Toxic singer spotted French professional basketball player Victor, 19.
The songwriter is a fan of the athlete, so she went up to her and asked if they could take a picture together, according to the outlet.
Britney says she slapped Victor on the back and right shoulder and accordingly TMZthe director of team safety for the San Antonio Spurs “immediately gave her a backhand.”
Security’s response “caused her to fall to the ground” and “knock off her glasses.”
After the encounter, Britney “collected herself” and returned to her own table.
Victor’s security reportedly reached out to the pop star and apologized, saying, “You understand what it’s like when you’re inundated with fans.”
But acc TMZBritney’s own security team spent some time with Victor’s chief of security and then filed a police report.
According to a spokesman for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, officers responded to a battery survey at the scene at 11 p.m. that evening.
“The incident was documented in a police report and no arrests or subpoenas were made,” the spokesman told The US Sun.
VICTOR EXPLAINS HIMSELF
Wembanyama addressed the media on Thursday afternoon and explained what he knew about the situation.
He confirmed that “something happened” while walking to a restaurant with his security team, but that he “thought it wasn’t a big deal.”
Wembanyama said, “We were in a hall, there were a lot of people.
“Well, people were obviously calling me. And there was a person who called.” [for] Me.
“But we spoke to security beforehand: ‘Don’t stop, or there will be a crowd.’ So I couldn’t stop.
“So this person called me ‘sir. sir. This person grabbed me from behind. I didn’t see what happened because I went straight and we [were] said ‘don’t stop’.”
Wembanyama added that he knew “security pushed them away” but “didn’t know with what force” as he walked on and didn’t turn to look.
He went on to say he wasn’t immediately told the person in question was Spears, adding that he “thought they were joking” when he was informed.
witness account
Brian Grajales, a witness to the wild event, provided insight into what he saw.
Brian spoke to me TMZ and said the pop singer tried to get Wembanyama’s autograph.
While Brian tried to get his attention, he claimed she said “sorry sir” in a British accent and touched Wembanyama’s back.
Police said the guard slapped Britney’s hand away as she was about to reach Wembanyama and her own hand slapped her in the face.
However, Brian disagreed with the statement and saw the guard hit her and watched her sunglasses fly off her face.
The witness also claimed that as Victor entered the restaurant, he heard Britney yell, “This is fucking America!” in an “angry tone.”
SAM EXPLAINS HIMSELF
On Thursday, Sam commented on the incident on social media.
He originally posted a lengthy message on Instagram defending his wife, but it was soon deleted.
a twitter account, breathe heavilyreposted some of the messages after Sam deleted them.
Sam began the message by saying that he does not condone violence of any kind, especially when it happens “without cause.”
He continued, “Self-defense can be inevitable, but defending a woman, especially my wife, is out of the question.”
Sam said he hopes security “learns a lesson and changes its disregard for women.”
A few minutes later, he posted another slide defending the basketball player who employed the “runaway security guard.”
The model said he didn’t want this event to cast a “shadow” on a “great young man on the rise,” referring to Victor.
He continues to describe the security guard as a “coward” who has not been “properly checked”.
Sam ended his message by saying, “The changes needed must come from above and I look forward to those changes.”
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