Blake Griffin is reportedly under investigation for battery after allegedly slapping a man at a nightclub. The incident supposedly went down early Sunday, when he was partying with his Los Angeles Clippers teammates at Tao Las Vegas.
Griffin is said to have become angered when a 39-year-old clubgoer named Daniel took a cell phone picture of the crowd using a bright flash. The basketball player allegedly grabbed the phone, but Daniel refused to let go because it was attached to his identification and credit card.
According to Daniel’s statement to club security, Griffin then grabbed his neck and squeezed it, threatening Daniel to give up his phone “or else.” Griffin managed to get the phone, and when Daniel asked for it back, the NBA star allegedly grabbed the guy by the neck again.
When TAO security attempted to intervene, Griffin reportedly exclaimed, “Get him the f*ck out of this club.” That’s when Daniel claims the athlete “slapped me in the right side of my face.”
Daniel has since filed a battery report with the Las Vegas Metro Police Department. TMZ says he was interviewed by cops at his hotel on Monday.
It’s unclear if police have spoken with Griffin yet for his side of the story. Interestingly, back in February, Griffin was falsely accused of smacking Justin Bieber inside a Los Angeles Starbucks. As Gossip Cop reported at the time, the rumor was made up, as Bieber hadn’t even been in town.