Jon Jones Arrest Update: UFC Champ Accused of Death Threats, Assaulting Anti-Doping Agents
UFC 300 fight week is off to an awry start.
UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones has been accused of assaulting and threatening the life of a sports doping agent on March 30.
Drug-Free Sport International sample collection worker Crystal Martinez was the one who filed the complaint. According to the report supplied by Officer Gilbert Gallego (secured by Aaron Bronsteter), Martinez and another agent arrived at Jones' residence at approximately 4 pm, and the professional fighter cooperated for the most part, but could not do the urine test.
The alleged assault took place after Martinez suggested a blood test. She claims Jones threatened to sue, before taking her phone to record a video. 'Bones' was then accused of withholding the device and becoming confrontational, allegedly threatening them with "Why you f****** people come so early - do you know what happens to people who come to my house, they end up dead."
The report describes a tense situation in which Martinez and the other agent feared for their safety before finally exiting the situation, Jones was also accused of being intoxicated throughout.
Jon Jones Denies Assault Claims, Shares CCTV Footage
Jones made a post to Instagram on March 6 vehemently denying the accusations and accusing the agents of "unprofessionalism". In the video, Jones and the agents appear to be departing amicably:
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Bony (@jonnybones)
"I want to address reports about me allegedly threatening a drug tester’s life and taking a phone," Jones wrote. "I want to clarify that there is a video showing both drug testers leaving my home after the testing session, where we exchanged a high five and a hug.
"Although I was frustrated with the unprofessionalism and used profanity out of frustration it ended friendly and amicably, nothing threatening at all. I was actually celebrating a friend’s birthday party at my home, and I believe it’s perfectly normal to celebrate in the comfort of my own home.I must say, this particular tester behaved quite unprofessionally and even breached standard protocol along with HIPAA laws. Throughout my 20 years of being subjected to drug tests, I have never encountered such an incident with a DCO officer before."
In another report, Jones gives his statement. "Bones'" claimed he was "bothered a little because he had been hungover from the night before," but denied making threats of harming anyone or killing them "because that is not the way he talks."
Jones allegedly said "Tell everyone at headquarters, not to send people to my home so early because it could be a dangerous environment," implying that a party could be occurring or multiple people could be there. Jones also denied threatening to sue Martinez and stealing her phone but did confirm he threatened to sue her partner. According to Jones, Martinez may have fabricated the story because of his use of profanity, despite apologizing and giving her a high-five as shown in the CCTV footage.
Damning Details Revealed in Jon Jones Report
In the report, Martinez states that her "boss" (only known as Pierson in the report) told her to hold off from filing a police report until UFC representatives spoke with her, and that "he did not want to file one because he was afraid of the repercussions."
"Crystal stated that later Pierson contacted her on Tuesday [April 4] asking her why she wanted to file a report and seemed like he was trying to talk her out of it."
Drug tester wanted to go to police and her boss told her to
“hold off until ufc representatives talk to her”
That’s not a good look for the UFC’s new anti doping partners. https://t.co/hOimQdML50
"Not a good look for the UFC's new anti doping partners," wrote Combat Sports Lawyer Erik Magraken on Twitter.
EDITOR'S NOTE (April 10, 2024, 20:36 ET): This article has been updated to reflect a statement received after publication stating that Jones was not arrested, nor did his summons 'double as an arrest' as reported by NBC.
On Saturday, April 6, police released an “arrest report” stating that a summons would be issued to Jones to appear in court on charges of assault and interfering with communications.
After this article was published, the Albuquerque Police Department told NBC that the records management system that produces an incident report does not automatically differentiate between an arrest and a summons.
"Jones was issued a summons in this case because the alleged assault is a misdemeanor not witnessed by officers, the spokesperson said.
"The Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office told NBC News on Monday that the office has not received Jones’ case from law enforcement. There were no open cases listed against Jones in a search of court records on Monday morning." (h/t NBC)
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