Former Ravens star pass rusher Terrell Suggs was arrested in Arizona on Tuesday on allegations that he threatened to kill another driver and pulled out a gun at a Starbucks drive-thru.
In an email, Officer Aaron Bolin, public information officer for the Scottsdale Police Department, said Suggs was arrested on charges of threatening and intimidating and disorderly conduct with a weapon. He was booked into a jail in Maricopa County but has since been released.
Law enforcement reported that Suggs pulled up too far in the drive-thru at a Starbucks in Scottsdale, where he lives. He started to back up to the ordering speaker and hit another vehicle with his Range Rover, police allege, but did not cause any damage.
The other driver had a dash camera. He got out of his vehicle to approach Suggs, who then exited his SUV. They got into an argument, police assert, but the two eventually returned to their cars.
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As Suggs was leaving, he flipped off the other driver, police claim. The man began to swear at Suggs.
Next, Suggs repeatedly told the man, “You wanna go.” The man responded with an expletive and told Suggs to “go away,” police reported.
Suggs then called him a “p---- ass cracker” and stated, “I’ll kill your bitch ass,” police allege. As Suggs was leaving the drive-thru, investigators assert, he reached his arm through the window and showed a handgun. Suggs, though, did not point the weapon at the man, who reported that he felt threatened.
The man took down Suggs’ license plate and reported the incident to police. Detectives identified Suggs and later arrested him during a traffic stop.
During an initial appearance, Maricopa County Court Commissioner Lindsay M. Hughes asked Suggs if he was currently employed. He responded no.
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“Do you believe that you have the financial means to hire a lawyer at your own expense?” Hughes asked.
“Yes,” Suggs replied.
Maricopa County Deputy County Attorney George Kelemen said prosecutors did not object to a recommendation from pretrial services that Suggs be let out without having to pay any money and placed on supervised release.
Kelemen said the state “does not believe he poses a continuing danger to the community nor a flight risk.” Suggs, he said, is not allowed to contact the man or his family members and must surrender any guns while awaiting trial.
“Based on the allegations against you, I do not believe that you pose an ongoing risk to the safety of the general community,” Hughes said to Suggs.
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In a statement issued through Denise White, his representative at EAG Sports, Suggs said he feared for his own safety during the argument.
“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,” he said.
Suggs is next scheduled to appear in court on April 25 for a status conference. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 29. It’s not immediately clear if he’s retained an attorney.
TMZ first reported the arrest.
Suggs, 41, who leads the Ravens in career sacks, played in Baltimore from 2003-2018 and was inducted last season into the team’s Ring of Honor. The former No. 10 overall pick won Super Bowl XLVII and was named to seven Pro Bowls with the Ravens. He finished his career with the Arizona Cardinals and Kansas City in 2019, winning a Super Bowl title with the Chiefs.
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Suggs dealt with legal issues over his time in Baltimore. In 2003, he was charged with felony aggravated assault stemming from an incident in Arizona but later acquitted. In 2012, he was accused of punching and dragging his girlfriend beside his car. A temporary protective order was placed against Suggs. He was required to surrender his nine firearms, but a Baltimore County judge later dismissed the order.
