TCU suspends Boykin following arrest for hitting officer in bar fight

TCU suspended star quarterback Trevone Boykin for the Alamo Bowl following his arrest for hitting a police officer in a bar fight near the team hotel early Thursday morning.

San Antonio police chief William McManus said Boykin struck a bike officer in the face, perhaps inadvertently, during a struggle with officers following an altercation with bar patrons at 1:52 a.m. at Pat O’Brien’s, a sports bar at 242 Losoya St., a half-block from the team hotel.

He was charged with assault on a public servant, public intoxication and resisting arrest. He was taken into custody at the city magistrate’s office on a $5,000 bond. He left the San Antonio Detention Center at 10:35 a.m. and got into a silver SUV driven by TCU employees.

He declined comment.

“We don’t know whether he was swinging at the officer or whether he was swinging at somebody behind him,” McManus said. “I don’t know. But in any event, the officer was struck in the face.”

McManus said the officer had a swollen face, bruises and an abrasian.

McManus said the altercation began when Boykin, recognized by bar patrons, was heckled about Saturday’s game matching TCu and Oregon. He said a bar employee was also struck by Boykin.

“Clearly this was not an appropriate way to act,” McManus said. “He was being heckled, and he responded to it, unfortunately.”

McManus said the area, downtown near the Alamo and major hotels, is not known for fighting, but that large crowds gather at bar closing time and bike officers routinely patrol.

A police report said Boykin was being taken back to the team hotel by the group he was with, but then was seeing “charging” at other officers who came to the scene. The police report said Boykin was taken to the ground, where the struggle continued until police threatened to use a taser. It was then that Boykin complied with demands to stop resisting, McManus said.

“At some point, Mr. Boykin struck the officer, both of them fell, his teammates tried to get him away — prior to this, his teammates had tried to take him back to the hotel, and he broke away from them and came back, and then he got into it with the officer,” McManus said. “Both went to the ground.”

TCU released a statement from coach Gary Patterson saying Boykin and reserve receiver Preston Miller were suspended for a violation of team rules. Patterson did not respond to a request for comment about whether Boykin had violated a curfew.

Patterson’s prepared statement said, “Trevone Boykin and Preston Miller have been suspended for Saturday’s game due to a violation of team rules. We are disappointed in their actions and apologize to the TCU Horned Frogs Nation, Valero Alamo Bowl and city of San Antonio.”

TCU coach Gary Patterson is scheduled to meet with reporters on Friday as part of the bowl media schedule.

WFAA/Channel 8 in Dallas tweeted a copy of the police report that said the group with Boykin told police they would walk him back to the team hotel, but that he became aggressive when other officers arrived and was “charging” them, then was taken to the ground, “where the fight continued.”

Boykin was scheduled to meet with reporters Thursday afternoon as part of the Alamo Bowl media schedule.

The senior from West Mesquite is one of the top players in the country, having finished in the top 10 in the Heisman Trophy voting each of the past two seasons. Since becoming TCU’s full-time quarterback in 2014, he is 22-2 and has set school records for passing yards and touchdowns.

This is the second incident involving arrests for TCU players this season. In September, defensive end Mike Tuaua and receiver Andre Petties-Wilson were arrested on accusations that they beat up students at a party and stole their beer.

They were suspended three games by Patterson. The charges were dropped, and they were reinstated to the team in October.

This story was originally published December 31, 2015 at 10:14 AM with the headline "TCU suspends Boykin following arrest for hitting officer in bar fight."