Former Lions TE Brandon Pettigrew arrested after allegedly punching police officer
Pittsburgh police arrested former long-time Detroit Lions tight end Brandon Pettigrew on Monday claiming he punched a police officer, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Police charged Pettigrew, 33, with two counts of aggravated assault, theft of services and public drunkenness, according to the report.
Pettigrew allegedly refused to pay for a limousine ride
The arrest stems from an incident in which Pettigrew refused to pay for a $97 limousine ride to a Pittsburgh hotel around 3 a.m. and confronted the driver, prompting the driver to call the police, according to the report. When police arrived, they say Pettigrew was visibly intoxicated and would not identify himself, citing his constitutional rights.
The police reports claims that Pettigrew was “aggressively arguing” with police before he punched an officer three times in the chest. At that point, officers drew Tasers, prompting Pettigrew to fall back before being handcuffed and detained. The Tasers were not deployed.
Pettigrew was reportedly placed in a restraint chair in jail
The report claims that Pettigrew was non-compliant when he arrived at jail and placed in an emergency restraint chair that prevented him from using his arms and legs. The report also stated that police body cam footage of the arrest would be made available in court.
The Lions selected Pettigrew with the 20th pick of the 2009 draft out of Oklahoma State. He played his entire seven-year career in Detroit before an ACL injury cut short his season and apparently his career in 2015.
Pettigrew’s second alcohol-related arrest since career ended
Pettigrew was previously arrested in 2017 in Oklahoma City on charges of public drunkenness and disorderly conduct for an alleged incident outside of a night club.
He has a preliminary court hearing scheduled for July 18, according to the Post-Gazette.
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