Former NFL star wide receiver Antonio Brown filed a request in a Miami court on Thursday to drop an attempted murder charge that could have sent him to prison for up to 30 years, according to multiple reports.
Brown, 37, pleaded not guilty after being arrested and extradited from Dubai last month, claiming he fired a gun outside a celebrity boxing match in Miami on May 16 as a “warning shot” in self-defense.
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In filing the motion this week, Brown and his legal team reportedly cited Florida’s “stand your ground” law passed in 2005, which allows a person to use deadly force rather than retreat if they face a threat of death or great bodily harm and believe deadly force is warranted. The statute can provide immunity from prosecution.
Brown said on X after the shooting that he was “attacked by multiple individuals who tried to steal my jewelry and cause physical harm to me.”
Brown, who was released from jail last month on $25,000 bail and was forced to wear a GPS ankle monitor while under house arrest, still maintains he acted out of fear for his safety. Brown’s attorneys disputed the arrest affidavit, which said authorities said Brown pulled a handgun from a security guard and shot a man twice after the incident, USA Today reported.
Brown’s attorney, Mark Eiglarsh, said Brown used his own weapon and was not targeting anyone, according to USA Today.
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“Our detailed motion makes it very clear that my client was forced to defend himself as a direct result of the victim’s violent and aggressive conduct,” Aiglash told the Miami Herald. “We are confident that these charges will be dismissed in accordance with the law.”
The Herald reported that on the night of a boxing match hosted by influencer Adin Ross, Brown allegedly punched 41-year-old Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu before the shooting.
Detectives interviewed Nantambu, who said he tried to leave after Brown allegedly assaulted him, the Herald reported. However, Nantambu reportedly explained that Brown chased him with a gun. Nantambu said one of the bullets grazed his neck, USA Today reported.
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According to the Herald, Aiglash made a different claim in the motion, with lawyers reportedly accusing Nantambu of waiting for “an opportunity to violently confront Brown” outside a boxing match on May 16. Nantambu was allegedly sentenced to 30 days in jail in Dubai for stealing Brown’s jewelry in 2022, and allegedly assaulted Brown backstage at a Rolling Loud concert in 2023.
Aiglash said Nantambu approached and assaulted Brown and several others, the Herald reported.
“Brown suffered injuries to his eyes, knees and hands and was bleeding visibly,” the motion reads, according to the Herald.
The motion also said: “The chaos caused by the violent attack in Nantambu heightened Brown’s fear for his life,” the Herald reported.
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Brown ran to his car to escape and then grabbed his legally permitted firearm, with Nantambu following him, the motion said. The report also states that Brown attempted to aim away from Nantambu, whom he allegedly believed to be armed and dangerous, while firing two “warning” shots.
Nantambu continued to pursue Brown and confronted Brown before leaving the scene with Brown’s gun, according to Aiglash.
According to ESPN , Nantambu’s attorney, Richard L. Cooper, described the motion as a “hilarious reimagining” of what happened.
