Earlier today (July 6), TMZ reported that on the evening of July 5, Britney Spears was allegedly slapped in the face by a security guard traveling with NBA rookie Victor Wembanyama. The incident reportedly occurred in Vegas at the Catch restaurant at the ARIA Hotel. Reportedly, Spears spotted Wembanyama, who is in Vegas for the NBA Summer League, and went over to get a picture. She allegedly tapped Wembanyama on the back only for the Spurs’ Director of Team Security to slap her across the face. TMZ alleges that the slap was hard enough to send Spears to the ground and knock her glasses off.
In an additional update, TMZ confirmed that law enforcement is treating the incident “as serious as a heart attack.” Furthermore, contrary to previous updates from the outlet, the case is being treated as a criminal investigation. While that does not guarantee criminal charges for Damian Smith, the alleged slapper, and the Spurs' Director of Team Security. However, law enforcement also claims that video of the incident, which has not been made public, shows that Smith hit Spears in the hand, not the face.
Witness Provides New Details On Slap Incident
While no footage of the incident has been released, TMZ did share a blurry photo purporting to show Spears moments before she made contact with Wembanyama. Furthermore, the outlet also spoke with a Canadian man named Brian Grajales, who claims to have witnessed the incident firsthand. According to Grajales, Spears "infiltrated" Wembanyama's inner circle and addressed Wembanyama in a "British accent" before touching his back. That's when Smith reportedly hit Spears, with Grajales claiming that he saw him make contact with her face. However, he does not recall if she was knocked to the ground, as her team claims. Furthermore, Grajales claims that after Wembanyama was moved inside the restaurant, Spears loudly yelled "This is fucking America" in a British accent. Wembanyana was born and raised in France to a family of Congolese heritage.
The new details are very dramatic, but once again should be treated with caution. It's one account from an unverified witness that corroborates Spears' claim while also providing details that play into stereotypes that she is unstable. It's an almost choreographed twist for a story of this nature. Furthermore, we are still yet to see any actual footage of the incident directly. This is despite TMZ claiming multiple times that such footage does exist. Until the footage emerges, it's going to be hard to say conclusively what actually happened. This is a developing story and we'll have any updates here at HotNewHipHop.
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