Browns’ Malik McDowell is arrested after attacking Florida cop while NAKED and walking near a preschool: Lawyer claims 6-foot-6, 295-pound defensive tackle may have been ‘drugged by someone’
- Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Malik McDowell was arrested for public exposure and beating a deputy in Deerfield Beach, Florida on Monday
- Police were responding to a report that a naked man was walking near a school
- The 25-year-old Detroit native’s alleged ‘violent attack’ left officer ‘dazed’
- The preschool went into a brief lockdown when McDowell appeared outside
- McDowell’s attorney claims someone may have drugged his client
- In 2017, he was arrested for DUI and disorderly conduct and in 2019, he had a drunken brawl with Michigan police and later received a two-game suspension
- McDowell ultimately pled guilty to assault, resisting arrest, and operating a vehicle while intoxicated for the 2019 incident. He reportedly is still on probation
- He was a highly-touted second-round pick in 2017, but after signing a four-year, $6.95 million contract with Seattle, McDowell got into an ATV accident in 2017
- He resurfaced in the NFL in 2021 with the Brows, starting 16 games for Cleveland
- McDowell will become a free agent in March, so the arrest may cost him his job
Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Malik McDowell was arrested for public exposure and beating a police deputy in Florida on Monday after he wandered naked onto a preschool’s property.
Video from the arrest shows the nude 6-foot-6, 295-pound McDowell surrounded by officers in the parking lot of the Deerfield Beach school known as the Learning Center. He is accused of exposing himself publicly, resisting arrest with violence, and battery on a law enforcement officer.
‘There is surveillance video that Mr. McDowell actually went onto the property of the Learning Center while naked,’ a prosecutor said during Tuesday’s arraignment.
McDowell allegedly punched a deputy with a closed fist after the officer approached the naked Browns player as he sat on a curb, according to a police report obtained by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
‘[McDowell] charged at me … at full speed with closed fist,’ the officer said in the report.
Video shows officers securing his legs and arms in shackles before McDowell was placed on a stretcher, covered in a blanket and wheeled away.
His attorney claims that someone may have drugged the 25-year-old.
‘Somebody may have slipped him something or given him something that he wasn’t aware of, which explains some of this bizarre behavior,’ the attorney told Local10.com.
The preschool went into a brief lockdown when teachers saw ‘a gentleman roaming the parking lot without any clothing on,’ according to company spokesperson Nan Zamora.
‘He seemed to be not himself,’ Zamora told Local10.com.
McDowell was still being held in jail on $31,000 bond as of late Tuesday afternoon, according Broward County Sheriff’s records.
Video from the arrest shows the naked 6-foot-6, 295-pound McDowell surrounded by officers in the Deerfield Beach school’s parking lot. He is accused of exposing himself publicly, resisting arrest with violence, and battery on a law enforcement officer
A group of officers stand around the naked McDowell during Monday’s arrest in South Florida
Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Malik McDowell was reportedly arrested for public exposure and beating a deputy in Florida on Monday after police responded to a report that a man was walking naked near a school
The naked McDowell was loaded onto a stretcher, covered in a blanket and taken away
At various times during the arrest, the 25-year-old McDowell appeared to be smiling
Brown is set to become a free agent in March, so the arrest could cost him his job.
‘We are aware of the very concerning incident and arrest involving Malik McDowell and are in the process of gathering more information,’ a Browns spokesperson said in Tuesday’s statement. ‘We understand the severity of this matter and our thoughts are for the well-being of all involved. We will have no further comment at this time.’
Broward County (Florida) police did not respond to DailyMail.com’s requests for the arrest record.
This is not McDowell’s first legal problem.
In 2017, he was arrested for DUI and disorderly conduct and in 2019, he had a drunken brawl with Michigan police and later received a two-game suspension from the NFL.
The Detroit native ultimately pled guilty to assault, resisting arrest, and operating a vehicle while intoxicated for the 2019 incident. He also admitted to receiving and concealing stolen property on after being charged with driving a stolen truck in April of 2019.
He spent 66 days in jail for the 2019 arrest.
Malik McDowell, 25, pictured after his arrest in Deerfield Beach, Florida on Monday
McDowell was a highly-touted second-round pick in 2017, but after signing a four-year, $6.95 million contract with Seattle, he got into an ATV accident in 2017. He resurfaced in the NFL in 2021 with the Brows, starting 16 games for Cleveland
In 2017, McDowell was arrested for DUI and disorderly conduct and in 2019, he had a drunken brawl with Michigan police at a gas station in Lathrup Village (pictured)
At one point during his 2019 arrest, the officer took out his taser and pointed it at McDowell, while demanding that he lay down on his chest because he was under arrest
McDowell pictured following his 2019 arrest for violently resisting officers in Michigan
He had been a highly-touted second-round pick in 2017, but after signing a four-year, $6.95 million contract with the Seattle Seahawks, McDowell got into an ATV accident in 2017 and was placed on reserve/did not report list.
Ultimately the team waived him with a non-football injury, costing him millions in the process.
McDowell’s 2019 arrest became national news after video emerged showing McDowell fighting with several police officers at a gas station in Lathrup Village, Michigan. His blood-alcohol level was later revealed to have been over twice the legal limit.
Not only did McDowell physically confront police, but he also attempted to grab one officer’s gun during the altercation. He was eventually shot with an electric stun gun, but still managed to continue his brawl with police.
McDowell reportedly remains on probation in Michigan, which could result in legal issues for him in that state if he’s convicted in Florida.
In 2021, he resurfaced with the Browns and ultimately started 16 games for Cleveland.
Eventually a team of officers was called in to facilitate the McDowell’s arrest
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