NBA star James Harden has been accused of throwing a cell phone, not a basketball. A woman lodged a complaint against the Houston Rockets standout, alleging that he took her cell phone and threw it onto a roof because she was recording a scuffle. Arizona Republic reported on the incident, and TMZ has released a cell phone video that seems to be from the same evening.
A complaint was lodged with the Scottsdale Police Department following the incident. The woman, 42, said she was watching a fistfight outside of Mint nightclub in downtown Scottsdale, Arizona, on August 11. Harden, who played for Arizona State University, was allegedly watching the fight as well. It is unclear who was fighting and if they were connected to either Harden or the complainant in any way.
The police report states that the woman was using her cell phone to record footage of the fight. Harden allegedly noticed this and approached the woman. The report states that he then grabbed her wrist and took the phone away, throwing it onto the roof of the club so she could not sell the footage.
Apparently, Harden and his friends tried to make the situation right. A member of the group offered the woman $200 as compensation, and she stated that Harden himself offered an additional $300 to cover the cost of the phone. The woman acknowledged that the phone was still functional, albeit water damaged. She was also treated for a wrist injury at a local hospital, and the police report mentioned a bruise on her right thumb as a result of the incident.
The woman said that even though the group offered to pay for damages, she still filed a police report because she did not feel Harden or anyone had a right to take and throw her phone, regardless of whether or not she was using it to film the fistfight. She said that she contacted TMZ and offered them the footage. They posted that footage and offered her $750, but she said that at the time she filed the police report, she had not been paid.
Details of the case have not yet been made public. The Scottsdale prosecutor is still reviewing details, and Scottsdale police spokesman Sgt. Ben Hoster said the case must still be reviewed before names are released.
“The information regarding Harden’s name and all parties that were interviewed will be available upon final approval of the case detective,” he said.
