Malik McDowell, a Cleveland Browns defensive tackle who started 14 games for the club this season, has been arrested on charges of public exposure and assaulting a deputy on Monday, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. The arrest report, obtained by the Sun-Sentinel, describes McDowell's assault on the deputy as a "violent attack" that left the office "dazed."
McDowell was arrested by the Broward Sheriff's Office in Deerfield Beach on Monday. According to the incident report, law enforcement got a call of a naked man walking near a school. Assistant state attorney Eric Linder later noted that McDowell was actually near a learning center for children that was in session. Surveillance video is also said to show McDowell going onto the learning center property while naked.
When confronted by law enforcement, the deputy noted that McDowell "charged at me ... at full speed with closed fist." As the deputy fought back amid the attack, McDowell fled. He was then tased to be placed in handcuffs.
McDowell's defense attorney said "apparently somebody may have slipped him something or given him something he was unaware of, which explains some of his bizarre behavior."
The 2017 second-round pick of the Seahawks was arrested twice in 2017 -- one on a DUI charge in Michigan and another on a disorderly conduct charge. In February of 2019, he was arrested on a charge of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, resisting arrest and assault, which resulted in a 153 day jail sentence. He was released by Seattle in March of 2019 and was suspended for two games by the NFL. In April of 2019, he was charged with receiving and concealing stolen property after he was found with a stolen pickup truck.
On top of being charged with public exposure and battery on a law enforcement office for this latest incident, McDowell was also arrested on charges of resisting arrest. He is now being held at Main Jail on a $31,000 bond.
