Cops Say Britney Spears Was Not Hit By Basketball Player's Security — Despite Video Evidence
The Las Vegas Police Department issued a statement declaring her account of events never actually happened.
Tinseltown / Victor Velter / Shutterstock On July 7, 2023, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department issued a statement regarding “its investigation of the alleged battery that occurred on July 5, 2023” and determined that “no charges would be filed against the person involved.”
The police investigated a police report filed by Britney Spears, who says she was hit in the face by a member of basketball player Victor Wembanyama’s security team.
The police stated that Britney Spears was not actually hit by Victor Wembanyama’s security guard, despite the existence of video evidence.
In a widely circulated video of the altercation caught on camera, Spears can be seen walking up behind the 7'5" San Antonio Spurs star and tapping him on the shoulder. Wembanyama, who’s surrounded by a team of security, does not turn around.
In the video, a security guard can be seen shoving Spears’ arm away; Spears’ head jerks back at the moment of impact. Another man alongside Wembanyama is then captured shoving Spears aside.
In their statement, the Las Vegas Police Department claimed that no charges would be filed, as they determined that Spears inadvertently ‘hit herself in the face.’
Spears took to social media to clarify her interpretation of the altercation, posting two separate messages on her Instagram account. Spears wrote, “Traumatic experiences are not new to me and I have had my fair share of them. I was not prepared for what happened to me last night.”
She continued, stating, “I recognized an athlete in my hotel lobby as I was heading to dinner. I later went to a restaurant at a different hotel and saw him again. I decided to approach him and congratulate him on his success. It was really loud, so I tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. I am aware of the player’s statement where he mentions ‘I grabbed him from behind’ but I simply tapped him on the shoulder. His security then backhanded me in the face without looking back, in front of a crowd.”
Spears pointed out that in her experience as a celebrity, she’s consistently swarmed by fans. She noted that same night, “I was swarmed by a group of at least 20 fans. My security team didn’t hit any of them.”
“This story is super embarrassing to share with the world but it’s out there already,” she explained. She also noted, “I also don’t appreciate nor do I think this is a laughing matter. Watching the player smile and laugh was cruel and demoralizing with the situation that took place.”
Spears made an astute and valuable assessment of the altercation between her and Wembanyama’s security guard. For the majority of her career, and in light of recent mental health concerns, Spears has been skewered by the media.
Spears publicly spoke out about an incident of violence, and was treated as though her experience didn’t matter, or wasn’t even real, at all.
For Spears to be told by an institution like the police department that she didn’t experience what she clearly did experience, it's a way of denying her reality. Unfortunately, what happened to Spears is a part of a larger common narrative for victims of assault — to be told that their hurt isn’t real.
Spears acknowledged the prevalence of physical violence that happens “often behind closed doors.”
She also made a follow-up post in Instagram, in which she reiterated that during her time in the industry, “not one time in my life has a security guard ever hit another person!!! I’m not sharing this to be a victim.”
She also said, “I have felt helpless in most situations and my experience in Vegas and my reaction was a cry out on all levels... No, I don’t feel like I have been treated as an equal person in this country.”
Spears also stated, “Either way I’m still a huge fan of the NBA player... it’s not his fault his security hit me.”
Ultimately, Spears shouldn’t feel that what happened to her was “super embarrassing,” as she claimed to feel. Living in her reality, one of extreme fame and public critique, doesn't mean that her account of lived experience should be denied, as the police have apparently done.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers celebrity gossip, pop culture analysis and all things to do with the entertainment industry.