Bruce Maxwell: Oakland A’s Catcher And Only MLB Player To Take A Knee Arrested In Alleged Gun Incident
Oakland Athletics catcher Bruce Maxwell, the only MLB player to kneel this season during the national anthem, was arrested yesterday in Arizona for allegedly pulling a gun on a female. Cops reportedly charged him with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and disorderly conduct.
Last month, the virtually unknown MLB player took a knee during the Star-Spangled Banner before a home game against the Texas Rangers to protest racial injustice in America. Maxwell’s dad is a U.S. Army veteran, and the professional baseball player, 26, was born in Germany while his father was stationed there. Maxwell insisted that his protest had nothing to do with a lack of patriotism or disrespecting the flag.
Maxwell appeared in 33 games for the A’s in 2016, recording a batting average of 0.283, with one home run and 14 RBI. In 2017, he played in 76 games, finishing the season with a 0.237 batting average, hitting three home runs and driving in 22 RBI in the process.
Maxwell grew up in Huntsville, Alabama, but the alleged gun incident occurred at his current Scottsdale, Arizona, home, at about 6 p.m. local time, TMZ reported, and he is or was being held by authorities pending an initial court appearance.
“Cops say the alleged victim was a female food delivery driver who told them Maxwell pointed a gun at her. It’s unclear what led up to the incident.”
The Oakland A’s released a statement about the alleged gun incident that expressed disappointment over the allegations, adding that the team is in the process of gathering information from law enforcement authorities about what happened.
Oakland A's catcher, Bruce Maxwell, arrested at Scottsdale home after pointing gun at food delivery worker. STORY: https://t.co/g0TBHxh2JQ pic.twitter.com/UvUVpKb0U4
— ABC15 Arizona (@abc15) October 29, 2017
Late last month, Bruce Maxwell accused a Huntsville restaurant waiter of refusing to serve him because of the national anthem protest. The waiter tells an entirely different story, noting that he never heard of Bruce Maxwell before the encounter and that the issue was that one of Maxwell’s dinner companions apparently produced an expired driver’s license or the equivalent, Fox News reported.
“I didn’t know anything about him or the kneeling. All I know is a friend of mine 15 years ago lost his job for serving someone a drink who happened to be underage, so if anyone looks under 30, I’m going to card them.”
The restaurant manager backed up the waiter’s version of events.
As the arrest of Oakland A’s catcher Bruce Maxwell on an alleged gun-related charge is a developing story, check back for updates.
[Featured Image by Eric Risberg/AP Images]
