Former NFL linebacker Terrell Suggs arrested after Starbucks drive-thru incident

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Former NFL defensive star Terrell Suggs was arrested on Tuesday in Arizona, a month after the seven-time Pro Bowl linebacker allegedly stuck a gun out of a window at a Starbucks drive-thru lane.

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Suggs, 41, a former Arizona State University star who spent 16 of his 17-year NFL career with the Baltimore Ravens, was arrested Tuesday in Scottsdale, The Arizona Republic reported. According to Scottsdale Police Department spokesperson Officer Aaron Bolin, Suggs faces charges of threatening and intimidating and disorderly conduct with a weapon, according to the newspaper.

He was booked into the Maricopa County Jail and was released early Wednesday, ESPN reported.

According to court documents, the incident occurred on March 10 while a black Range Rover, later discovered to be registered to Suggs, was in a Starbucks drive-thru on Hayden Road and East Thompson Peak Parkway in Scottsdale, the Republic reported.

Investigators alleged that an argument began over whether Suggs had backed his vehicle into another car while in the drive-thru, according to KTVK.

The other vehicle was not damaged and both men argued before returning and picking up their orders, ESPN reported.

Investigators said that Suggs allegedly flipped off the other driver and threatened to kill him before driving away, KNXV-TV reported. Police said he then stuck a handgun out of the window but did not point it at the other man before leaving the area, according to the television station.

The driver of the other vehicle wrote down Suggs’ license plate number and then called the police, ESPN reported. The driver had a device attached to the front of his vehicle that recorded audio and video of the incident.

In a statement released through EAG Sports’ Denise White, Suggs said he feared for his safety during the argument, ESPN reported.

“I was in a quiet area of Scottsdale in the middle of the day in a Starbucks drive-thru near my home when an incident happened with a vehicle behind me. I was getting coffee, I was not looking for any trouble,” Suggs said. “When the man in the other vehicle escalated the situation, I feared for my safety not knowing what his intentions were. Throughout the incident, I was the one who felt in danger, while fearing I would be followed home and for the safety of my family nearby at my residence.”

Suggs played high school football at Hamilton High School in Chandler, Arizona, and attended Arizona State. He was drafted in the first round (10th overall) by the Ravens in the 2003 NFL draft, according to Pro-Football-Reference.com.

He was named the NFL’s defensive rookie of the year in 2003 and won NFL defensive player of the year honors in 2011.

Suggs won NFL Bowl titles with the Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII and with the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV during his final season. Suggs also spent most of the 2019 season with the Arizona Cardinals.

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