Former Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs was arrested in Arizona on Tuesday after allegedly threatening to kill another driver and pulling out a gun at a Starbucks drive-through last month, according to Scottsdale Police.
Suggs, 41, was charged with threatening and intimidating, as well as disorderly conduct with a weapon. He was released early Wednesday morning on supervised release.
The charges stem from a March 10 incident in Scottsdale, where Suggs lives.
After pulling too far forward in the drive-through lane at Starbucks, Suggs backed up and the back of his black Range Rover made contact with the alleged victim’s vehicle, which did not suffer any damage, according to police. The man then exited his vehicle and approached Suggs, who also exited his car, and an argument ensued before both parties returned to their vehicles and finished placing their orders, according to police.
As Suggs began to drive away, he stuck his middle finger up at the other man, according to police, and began to swear at the alleged victim, saying, “You wanna go?” while the alleged victim replied, “F— you and go away.”
Suggs then called the alleged victim a “p—- a– cracker” and said, “I’ll kill your b—- a–,” according to police. As Suggs began to drive away, he stopped his car and stuck a handgun out of the driver’s side window. He did not point it at the other man, according to police, but the alleged victim took it as a threat and wrote down Suggs’ license plate number before calling police.
The alleged victim’s car had a recording device that captured audio and video of the incident and the police officer who was first on the scene identified Suggs.
Suggs was stopped by detectives at 2:40 p.m. Tuesday and a weapon was found in his car, according to a police report.
Through a representative, Suggs issued a statement on Wednesday to The Baltimore Sun.
“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.”
A status conference is scheduled for April 25, with a preliminary hearing set for April 29.
Drafted 10th overall out of Arizona State by Baltimore in 2003, Suggs spent all but one of his 17 years in the NFL with the Ravens, who inducted him into their Ring of Honor in October.
Suggs won two Super Bowl titles in his career, including one with Baltimore in the 2012 season. He was also named the NFL’s Rookie of the Year in 2003 and Defensive Player of the Year in 2011, as well as an All-Pro and a seven-time Pro Bowl selection.
This is also not the first time that Suggs has been accused of assault.
In 2003, he was charged with a felony aggravated assault after a man was allegedly struck with a piece of rebar during an argument at a basketball tournament. Suggs was later acquitted of the charges.
In 2009, Suggs’ future wife, Candace Williams, accused him of domestic violence and filed a request for a protective order claiming he had hit her and spilled bleach on her and their then-1-year-old son. She later requested that the order be rescinded after they reconciled.
Then, in late 2012, she accused him of punching her in the neck and dragging her behind his car as he drove away with their two children. Suggs was ordered to turn over seven guns, including an AK-47 assault rifle, because of the temporary protective order granted by the Baltimore County Circuit Court.
Less than a month later, the couple married, and she again asked for the protective order to be lifted. After two years of marriage, she filed for divorce in 2015.
Suggs, who spent his final season in the league in 2019 with the Arizona Cardinals and then the Kansas City Chiefs, finished his career with 139 sacks, 895 tackles, 15 fumble recoveries and seven interceptions.
