Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon catches a pass during the AFC Championship NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2023 in Kansas City, M.O. (Lauren Bacho via AP)
Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon allegedly pointed a gun at a woman late last month, telling her she “should be popped in the face” and boasting “the police can’ get me,” according to charging documents released Thursday.
Court records quote Mixon abbreviating the “can’t” without the “t.”
Details are sparse in criminal filings inside Hamilton County Municipal Court, where Mixon has been charged in connection with the Jan. 21, 2023, incident in Hamilton County, Ohio.
Mixon’s charging affidavit — obtained by Law&Crime — does not state his alleged motive or relationship to the woman. It simply states that he “knowingly” pointed a gun at her and said: “You should be popped in the face. I should shoot you. The police can’ get me.”
He is charged with aggravated menacing, a first-degree misdemeanor.
“No person shall knowingly cause another to believe that the offender will cause serious physical harm to the person or property of the other person, the other person’s unborn, or a member of the other person’s immediate family,” the statute reads.
Police filed the charge on Thursday and the case has not yet been assigned to a judge.
The court docket doesn’t list Mixon’s attorney of record, but the running back’s agent Peter Schaffer told local ABC affiliate WCPO that the charge marked a “rush to judgment” and would be dropped.
“They’re dropping the charges first thing in the morning,” Schaffer reportedly claimed on Thursday. “I really feel that police have an obligation before they file charges — because of the damage that can be done to the person’s reputation — to do their work. They should be held to a higher standard. Because I don’t play with people’s lives.”
As of press time, the charges remain on the court’s docket without any notice of dismissal.
The Bengals said that they are looking into the charge, according to the TV station.
“The club is aware misdemeanor charges have been raised against Joe Mixon,” the Bengals reportedly said in a statement. “The club is investigating the situation and will not comment further at this time.”
Cincinnati police did not respond to Law&Crime’s press inquiries by email and phone.
This isn’t the first time Mixon has been accused of harming a woman — and faced a misdemeanor charge as a result.
Close to a decade ago, Mixon was a college athlete with the University of Oklahoma Sooners when he was caught on tape punching a woman in a café on July 25, 2014. It took two years for authorities to release the video publicly.
At the time, Mixon pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of acts resulting in gross injury, in exchange for a year-long probation, 100 hours of community service, and therapy, The Oklahoman reported at the time.
The victim in that older incident, 22-year-old Amelia Molitor, reportedly suffered fractured bones in her face and later sued him in federal court.
Read the affidavit below:
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