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Darrell Armstrong, an assistant coach for the Mavericks, was taken into custody on Saturday on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for supposedly hitting his girlfriend with a gun. The incident was reported by the Dallas Morning News.
The incident occurred on Saturday when Dallas police responded to a call around 3:45 a.m.
Reportedly, Armstrong and his girlfriend were involved in a dispute inside their residence. The argument ensued after he supposedly discovered a message from another woman on his phone. It is said that he struck his girlfriend with a gun and made threats to harm her during the altercation, as per the Morning News.
According to the TV station in Dallas, the conflict took a turn for the worse when Armstrong allegedly used the gun to assault his girlfriend and made further threats towards her. The severity of the situation escalated, leaving the female victim in a distressed state, as mentioned in the news report.
The Mavericks released a statement acknowledging that they are aware of the incident but did not name Armstrong, only referring to him as a “member of our staff” and an “employee.”
“The Dallas Mavericks are aware of an incident involving a member of our staff and are gathering all relevant information surrounding the incident,” the team said in its statement. “We take this matter seriously. The employee has been placed on administrative suspension pending the outcome of legal proceedings. This matter is currently under review by the appropriate legal authorities. Due to this fact, we will allow the legal process to run its course and we will refrain from further comment while proceedings are ongoing.”
Jail records viewed by WFAA indicated that the Mavericks’ assistant coach was booked in jail around 7:30 a.m. and his bond was set at $35,000.
Armstrong posted bond and has not publicly commented about the incident.
The former point guard has been on the Mavs staff since 2009 as an assistant.
His transition to coaching followed a playing career that spanned from 1994-2008.
Armstrong spent 14 years in the NBA as a player — including two of which were spent with the Mavericks organization — including the 2005-2006 season when Dallas reached the NBA Finals.
Armstrong is the only player in NBA history to win both the Sixth Man of the Year and Most Improved Player honors in one season, which he did in the 1998-99 lockout season.
He enjoyed stints with the Magic, New Orleans Hornets, Pacers and Mavericks before ending his playing career with the Nets.