Video released of Britney Spears and Victor Wembanyama incident
Thursday, news broke of a Wednesday night altercation between world-famous music star Britney Spears and a security guard for recent No. 1 NBA Draft pick Victor Wembanyama.
TMZ broke the story that Spears approached Wembanyama for a photo opportunity and tapped him on the back, which caused a reaction from Damian Smith, the Director of Team Security for the San Antonio Spurs, the NBA team that just drafted Wembanyama.
The original TMZ report stated that the security guard “instantly backhanded her, causing her to fall to the ground, knocking her glasses off.” However, TMZ now has actual footage of the incident and released that on Friday afternoon.
So, here’s how it all went down:
In the video, you can see Spears jog up and tap Wembanyama, which did elicit a reaction from the security guard. He swung his arm backward and appeared to strike Spears in the face. Although she did not fall down and instead remained standing as people in the crowd reacted, including one woman who shouted out, “woah, that’s Britney Spears!” after the strike.
More on Spears-Wembanyama incident
In the aftermath of the assault, Spears has filed a police report, per TMZ. They also wrote that Britney stayed at the restaurant and was seated at her table afterwards, where the Spurs security member found her to apologize, issuing the following excuse for his strike: “You understand how it is when you’re being swarmed by fans.”
But even after the apology, Spears and her team “filed a police report with the Metropolitan Police Dept. alleging battery,” according to TMZ.
It’s important to remember that security guards are not law enforcement and therefore are not protected from assault charges any more than the common person. According to the National Law Review, a very reputable legal journal, security guards are not immune from the law should they harm someone while doing their job.
“While guards can provide safety and deter criminal activity, there are situations when the guard causes harm and even death to a person. In these circumstances, the injury victim can pursue a civil lawsuit against the guard. These cases can result in significant compensation.”