Antonio Brown seeks dismissal of attempted murder case, citing ‘stand your ground’ law – The Athletic
Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown filed a motion this week to dismiss the second-degree attempted murder charge against him in Miami, citing Florida’s “stand your ground” law.
The motion was filed electronically with the 11th Judicial Circuit Court in Miami-Dade County on Thursday by Brown’s attorney, Mark Eiglarsh.
Brown is accused of snatching a handgun from a security official at a May boxing match in Miami and firing shots. Brown allegedly engaged in an altercation earlier in the night, and video appeared to capture him chasing after a man, Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, while holding a black pistol.
Eiglarsh said last month that Brown was holding his own handgun and didn’t fire in anyone’s direction.
Florida passed the “stand your ground” self-defense law in 2005, removing the duty to retreat before using deadly force to defend oneself. The law gained national attention after the death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, who was fatally shot by a self-appointed neighborhood watchman, George Zimmerman, in 2012.
Zimmerman’s attorneys did not claim the “stand your ground” law before trial in an effort to have his second-degree murder charges dismissed. They argued self-defense during the trial, and Zimmerman was acquitted in 2013.
According to Brown’s motion, Nantambu previously stole Brown’s jewelry and spent 30 days in jail in Dubai in 2022 as a result, and Nantambu attacked Brown at a concert in 2023. The motion argues that Brown’s use of force was “fully justified” because he believed Nantambu intended to harm him.
Police questioned several people at the scene, and Brown was briefly detained. No arrests were made at the time, and no injuries were reported, according to The Associated Press. Later that night, Brown wrote on social media that he had been jumped “by multiple individuals who tried to steal my jewelry and cause physical harm to me.” He also said he had not been arrested, but Miami police issued an arrest warrant for Brown shortly thereafter.
The former wide receiver evaded authorities for more than four months. During that time, Brown, 37, posted frequently on social media, including 13 Instagram posts showing him in a luxury sports car, at a barbershop and lounging poolside.
U.S. Marshals apprehended Brown in Dubai in early November and extradited him to the U.S. Brown’s lawyer filed a not guilty plea on his behalf, and he was released from a Miami jail in mid-November.
