Britney Spears has made a public statement regarding the news of her being assaulted in Las Vegas Wednesday night.
On Instagram, Spears gave details on what exactly happened between her and Victor Wembanyama's personal security tea, noting that "Traumatic experiences are not new to me and I have had my fair share of them. I was not prepared for what happened to me last night."
“I recognized an athlete in my hotel lobby as I was heading to dinner," she wrote. "I later went to a restaurant at a different hotel and saw him again. I decided to approach him and congratulate him on his success. It was really loud, so I tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. I am aware of the players statement where he mentions ‘I grabbed him from behind’ but I simply tapped him on the shoulder. His security then back handed me in the face without looking back, in front of a crowd. Nearly knocking me down and causing my glasses [to fall] off my face.”
She added, “Physical violence is happening too much in this world. Often behind closed doors. I stand with all the victims and my heart goes out to all of you!!! I have get to get a public apology from the player, his security or their organization. I hope they will…”
You can read the full statement below from Instagram.
Spears's husband Sam Asghari defended his wife on his Instagram, adding that “I am opposed to violence in any form, especially without justification in the defense of yourself or someone else who is unable to defend themselves. Self-defense can be unavoidable, but the defense of any woman, especially my wife, is not debatable. I consider my reaction subdued considering what occurred, and I hope the man in question learns a lesson and changes his disregard for women.”
Victor Wembanyama also gave his side of the story to the Associated Press, saying, “Something did happen, a little bit, when I was walking with some security from the team to some restaurant,” Wembanyama said. “We were in the hall. There was a lot of people, so people were calling [at] me, obviously. There was one person who was calling me but we talked before with security.
“That person grabbed me from behind — not on my shoulder, she grabbed me from behind. I just know the security pushed her away. I don’t know with how much force but security pushed her away. I didn’t stop to look so I could walk in and enjoy a nice dinner.”
He explains that he didn't find out that it was Britney Spears until hours later. “I thought it was no big deal, and then security of the Spurs told me it was Britney Spears,” he said. “At first, I was like, ‘You’re joking,’ but yeah, it turns out it was Britney Spears. I never saw her face. I just kept walking straight.”
One eyewitness that has come forward told TMZ that they saw Britney Spears get "punched" in the face by the guard.