NFL, police knew Alvin Kamara was assault suspect before Pro Bowl
Update, 6 p.m. ET Feb. 16, 2023: Saints RB Alvin Kamara and 3 others indicted by grand jury for alleged Vegas nightclub beating
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police arrested New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara on a battery charge Sunday night following the Pro Bowl, but revealed that they and the NFL knew Kamara was a suspect hours before the Pro Bowl began.
Assistant Sheriff John McGrath told the Nevada Current on Monday that they identified Kamara as a suspect on Sunday morning, but in order to gain his cooperation so they could find out the identities of the others involved in the incident, police opted to wait until after the Pro Bowl to interview him.
“We got in touch with NFL security about 10 o’clock in the morning and let them know that he [Kamara] was a suspect in the case and they located him and he was already on the field,” McGrath told the Current via phone. “So they contacted him and he agreed to meet with us after the game. And so that’s just the way we did it since he was cooperating.”
Kamara, friends allegedly beat a man unconscious
Kamara was arrested and booked on suspicion of battery resulting in substantial bodily harm on Sunday night. According to documents obtained by the New Orleans Times Picayune, police allege that Kamara and three others beat a man until he was unconscious at Drais After Dark Club in Las Vegas. According to the report, Kamara and the others allegedly stomped on the alleged victim's face and chest 23 times and punched him nine times, with eight of the punches coming from Kamara.
The alleged victim, who suffered a fractured eye socket among other injuries, spoke to police on Saturday from his hospital bed. He provided a description of one of his alleged assailants, which police say matches Kamara's description. There is also security footage of the incident, which police say backs up the alleged victim's claims.
Kamara was released on bond and is scheduled for a court hearing on March 8. If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison.
