Body cam footage of police interview with Matthews accuser released
Warning: Video contains coarse language
A body cam video of a police interview with the security guard pressing charges against Auston Matthews was published by Arizona's 12 News on Wednesday.
The woman is pressing charges against the Toronto Maple Leafs' star forward for disorderly conduct stemming from a May incident in his hometown of Scottsdale, Arizona.
According to the police report, Matthews, who appeared intoxicated, was outside his condo complex with some friends at approximately 2 a.m. when he attempted to open a security guard's car and sit down inside as she was doing paperwork. After she exited the car, Matthews dropped his pants and grabbed his buttocks as he walked away. His underwear appeared to stay on.
The body cam interview provides further details of the incident, though the audio often cuts in and out.
After the incident, Matthews' friend apparently tried to persuade the security guard not to tell property management what had happened.
"I said, 'I just want to let you know that there's cameras and there will be a camera that will show your friend pulling his pants down and walking into the elevator with his pants down,'" the security guard told police of her explanation to Matthews' friend.
The surveillance video in question has not been released to the public.
Matthews' father initially claimed Matthews denied the incident took place after property management reached out to inform him of the encounter, according to the security guard. After property management sent him the security footage, Matthews' father apparently didn't respond.
A condo board member said the board would support the woman if she decided to press charges "because this resident has been an issue for us anyway," according to the security guard.
The police officer said Matthews did nothing to warrant any charges other than those eventually pressed.
"Most of everything that you're telling me is a crime, as far as disorderly conduct, because it seriously disrupted your peace, your way of working," he said. "In order to be public sexual indecency ... there has to be either genitals that are seen or the anus itself."
The security guard replied that she could not confirm or deny if Matthews' underwear had come off because he was too far away, though she did see him drop his pants and bend over.
"It's still leaning more to disorderly conduct, which is a misdemeanor crime, but not public sexual indecency ..." the officer said. "The only thing I could really charge him with is the disorderly conduct part of it. It's a misdemeanor crime. It's arrestable."
The officer added it could eventually become harassment if Matthews or his friends continued to bother her in the future. It does not appear the situation has escalated to that level.
Matthews issued a statement of regret Wednesday.
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