Ausar Walcott, NFL rookie, charged with attempted murder, report says
(CBS) CLEVELAND - Ausar Walcott, a rookie free agent for the NFL's Cleveland Browns, was arrested Tuesday and charged with attempted murder after allegedly punching a man outside a gentleman's club in New Jersey, the North Jersey Record reports.
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Walcott, 23, of Hackensack, N.J., is accused of punching a man in the head around 3 a.m. Sunday, according to the paper.
The victim, Derrick Jones, 24, was taken to the Harlem Hospital Center in Manhattan where he was listed in critical condition Tuesday, the paper reports.
Walcott turned himself in to police Tuesday morning and was charged with first-degree attempted murder, second-degree aggravated assault and third degree endangering an injured victim. His bail was set at $500,000.
The Browns announced they had signed Walcott on May 13. They issued a statement following the arrest saying the team is "aware of the situation."
"There is a pending legal matter and we will not comment," the statement said.
The team's website lists Walcott as a 6-foot-2, 230-pound linebacker from University of Virginia.
According to the paper, he was suspended from the University football team two years ago after he and two teammates were arrested following an altercation on the James Madison University campus in Harrisonburg, Va. He was reportedly reinstated after the charges against him were dismissed.
