NFL Linebacker Accused Of Punching NYPD Sergeant

JACKSON HEIGHTS, NY — An NFL linebacker has been accused of punching an NYPD sergeant in Jackson Heights after his arrest for skipping a taxi fare, prosecutors say. The Detroit Lions's Trevor Bates, 25, faces four charges including assault and resisting arrest because of the early Saturday morning attack at the 115th Precinct, the Queens District Attorney's Office said.

Police responded to a hotel on Ditmars Boulevard near LaGuardia Airport around 1:30 a.m. after a call from a cab driver who said Bates did not want to pay his $32 fare, according to prosecutors. The linebacker from Maine was arrested and taken to the precinct, the DA's office said.

Bates was told he would get a desk appearance ticket and be allowed to leave as long as there were no outstanding warrants, but he nonetheless became "increasingly agitated," the DA's office said.

Sgt. James O'Brien tried to calm him down, but Bates punched him in the face and had to be tased, according to prosecutors.

O'Brien was taken to a local hospital and was told he had a concussion and needed three stitches over his left eye, the DA's office said.

Bates was still in a hospital himself and had not been arraigned as of Monday morning, a spokeswoman for the DA's office said.

(Lead image: Trevor Bates was charged with assault after punching an NYPD sergeant in the face early Saturday morning, prosecutors said. AP Photo/File)