Ben Gordon arrested after he allegedly punched his son in the face MULTIPLE times because the child dropped a book while traveling at NYC’s LaGuardia Airport
Former NBA player Ben Gordon recently found himself in cuffs after he allegedly punched his 10-year-old son in the face multiple times.
The criminal complaint states that the incident went down on Monday at New York’s LaGuardia Airport. An American Airlines employee told police she witnessed the former shooting guard punching the boy and yelling at him after he accidentally dropped a book on the floor. As a result, Gordon, 39, was arrested and charged with two counts of assault in the second degree, two counts of assault in the third degree, criminal contempt in the first degree, criminal contempt in the second degree, endangering the welfare of a child, and attempted assault in the third degree, the New York Post reports. During his arraignment Tuesday night in Queens Criminal Court, it was shared that Gordon also allegedly resisted arrest during the incident and injured two Port Authority officers in the process. To make matters worse, it was noted that he allegedly violated an order of protection that is already in place for his son.
RELATED: Former NBA Star Ben Gordon Was Obsessed With Killing Himself
Gordon’s son was reportedly taken to Long Island Jewish Children’s Hospital, where he was treated, police said. Judge Edwin Novillo set his bail at $20,000 cash or $50,000 partially secured bond at 10%. The news site reports that he was unable to immediately post bail and had to spend the night at Rikers Island. However, he is expected to post bail and be released this morning.
Gordon’s son Elijah was identified by the Daily Mail. The former athlete shares the child with ex-fiancé Sascha Smith.
An ex-girlfriend of Gordon is now speaking out in his defense and claims a “Karen” who recognized him sparked his arrest for allegedly hitting their child.
Ashley Banks told the Post that “Karen” targeted the former basketball player after she recognized him that day. Banks, who dated Gordon from 2016 to 2020, said he did not hurt his son, but that the “Karen” scarred the child for life.
The child saw his father being arrested, taken away,” she continued. “He was waiting in custody until his aunt picked him up. So that is the worst part of it, you know, and so we want to really protect him.”
“We were just disappointed because you keep seeing this pattern with Black people,” she said. “And it’s sad, but like a child is traumatized from it. How do you calm a 10-year-old? He’s probably going to be scared of the police. Because he’s little.”
Gordon has previously admitted struggling with his mental health, writing an essay on the The Player’s Tribune in 2020 detailing his struggles with bipolar and mania – saying it was ‘terrifying’
RELATED: NBA Drug Tests Bradley Beal After Back-To-Back 50-Pt Games