Britney Spears, who is well-acquainted with being surrounded by fans, experienced an unfortunate incident during a fan-girl moment. Spears was allegedly struck in the face when attempting to take a photo with NBA player Victor Wembanyama while in Las Vegas on Wednesday, July 5. As reported by Variety , Spears has reportedly filed a police report in Las Vegas, Nevada, following the alleged assault.
“Britney saw Victor and walked up to tap him on the back to ask for a photo. His security was being mobbed with fans and he turned around trying to push Britney off and hit her in the face, knocking off her glasses. The San Antonio Spurs player’s head of security then went over to Britney and apologized and their security teams chatted for a while,” an insider told Us Weekly .
Variety reported that the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department acknowledged their response to a battery investigation and verified the filing of a police report. However, they declined to disclose the identities of the individuals involved in the incident. “On July 5, 2023, at approximately 11 p.m., LVMPD officers responded to a property in the 3700 block of Las Vegas Boulevard regarding a battery investigation, The incident has been documented on a police report and no arrest or citations have been issued. No further details will be provided at this time,” a spokesperson from the police department revealed.
During a Thursday interview, Wembanyama spoke about the incident, explaining that he was unaware of what had occurred as he was walking straight and had been instructed not to stop. He mentioned that someone grabbed him from behind, rather than on his shoulder, and his security team subsequently pushed the person away. Since he did not pause to observe the situation, he couldn’t provide specific details about the force used by security to separate Spears. Furthermore, Wembanyama admitted that he only discovered the woman’s identity as Britney Spears a few hours later.
Moments ago, #Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama addresses the incident last night with Britney Spears in Las Vegas: pic.twitter.com/T33s7R4yUl
— Nate Ryan (@nateryansports) July 6, 2023
Following the incident, Spears took to her social media accounts on Thursday afternoon to share a detailed statement regarding the incident. This occurred shortly after Wembanyama mentioned that Spears had “grabbed him from behind” while describing the incident.
In her post, Spears said that she had not received a “public apology” from Wembanyama or his security team, but expressed hope that they would offer one. She then expressed gratitude towards her fans and acknowledged the assistance and support provided by the Las Vegas Police Department.
— Britney Spears 🌹🚀 (@britneyspears) July 6, 2023
According to TMZ , the incident occurred on Wednesday night at Catch restaurant in the Aria Hotel in Las Vegas. Spears was having dinner with her husband, Sam Asghari, and two others when she spotted Wembanyama, who stands tall at 7 feet 5 inches. Spears approached Wembanyama to request a photo with him, but it is alleged that the director of team security for the San Antonio Spurs backhanded her.
TMZ further reports that Wembanyama’s security personnel approached Spears’ table afterward, expressing ignorance of her identity at the time of the alleged incident. They apologized, stating that they understood the challenges of being surrounded by fans.