Less than one week after Antonio Brown was extradited to the United States, he pleaded not guilty to an attempted murder charge stemming from a shooting this spring, according to the Associated Press.
Brown, the former NFL wide receiver, returned from the United Arab Emirates last week after being arrested by U.S. Marshals over his alleged involvement in a May shooting outside a celebrity boxing event in May.
Mark Eiglarsh, the lawyer representing Brown, told the AP that he filed an email with Brown’s not guilty plea and that the former Steelers and Buccaneers star will appear in court this week for a bond hearing.
Brown had originally been flown into Newark Airport and booked in Essex County Jail in New Jersey before signing a waiver to allow his extradition to Miami.
The 37-year-old, who was overseas when an arrest warrant was issued in June, is alleged, during a fight outside the boxing event, to have grabbed the gun of a security officer and fired two bullets at Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, who later told authorities that a bullet grazed his neck.
Brown was detained after the incident and later released. He first said he was acting in self-defense.
Miami Police detectives said they later found video of the incident, with Brown allegedly punching Nantambu before grabbing the gun.
On Monday, Eiglarsh echoed that Brown acted in self-defense.
“I took this case because I passionately believe in Brown’s defense,” Eiglarsh said in a press release. “The actions he was forced to take were solely in self-defense against the alleged victim’s violent behavior. Brown was attacked that night and acted within his legal right to protect himself from an individual who previously committed criminal acts against him.
“It’s a privilege to represent him, and I am determined to ensure that justice is served.”
