Before Tampa signing, Antonio Brown destroyed security camera in his luxe community, cops say

Antonio Brown, the superstar wide receiver who recently returned to the NFL after a slew of off-the-field troubles, was accused last month of angrily destroying a surveillance camera at the gated community in Hollywood where he lives and throwing his bicycle at a security-guard shack, according to a police report obtained by the Herald.

Hollywood police determined there was probable cause to charge Brown with misdemeanor criminal mischief for the Oct. 15 incident, the report said. But the homeowners association president declined to press charges, according to the report, saying she feared Brown “may retaliate against her employees.”

The incident, which had not previously been made public, was only the latest for Brown, who was signed by Tampa Bay less than two weeks after the fracas at the luxury Hollywood Oaks development. The Hollywood Police Department “exceptionally cleared” the case on Nov. 5, according to the report.

Sylvia Berman, the HOA president, downplayed the incident on Monday. “It’s not that we’re afraid of him,” Berman told the Herald. Instead, she said, the board thought the incident was too minor to press charges and Brown had agreed to replace the broken camera.

A spokesperson for Brown said Monday that she has been “assisting Mr. Brown for several months to resolve certain minor disputes with the housing authority.”

“One of the issues involved difficulties that visiting friends and family experienced while attempting to access a visitor gate. That and all other issues have been fully and amicably resolved, and everyone is getting along just fine,” spokeswoman Alana Burstyn said, adding: “ I am not sure who is trying to promote this narrative.”

In a second statement sent Monday evening, Burstyn said: “Antonio regrets that he lost his cool that day and he has made amends with the HOA.

“However, he is rightly concerned that he is routinely targeted by some people for mistreatment and undue scrutiny because he is Antonio Brown. He wants to be a good neighbor, good citizen and a good teammate.’’

It was unclear Monday if the Tampa Bay football team knew about the incident before signing Brown.

The Buccaneers signed the mercurial receiver, even though he was suspended for eight weeks for for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.

Brown was arrested in January after a moving truck driver told police that Brown threw a rock at his truck, grabbed him and refused to pay money for damage to the truck outside his Hollywood Oaks home. He purchased the 12-bedroom mansion in Hollywood in 2016.

He remains on probation after accepting a plea deal and agreeing to complete 100 hours of community service and an anger management course. His plea deal says he must live “without violating the law. A conviction in a court of law is not necessary for such a violation of law to constitute a violation of your probation.”

It is unclear if the latest brush with the law would violate the terms of his probation. A spokeswoman for the Broward State Attorney’s Office said no police agency has raised the matter to prosecutors.

The Bucs, in a statement reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Monday evening, said it was aware of the incident “involving Antonio Brown prior to his signing.”

“When Antonio joined us, we were clear about what we expected and required of him. Thus far, he has met all the expectations we have in place,” the team said.

In the latest incident, a security guard called police after a blue Alfa Romeo car pulled up to the guard shack at Hollywood Oaks asking to visit Brown. The guard said Brown had “gate restrictions,” which meant that the football player had to be at the gate in person to escort the guest inside.

The report said that not long after, Brown showed up on a blue bicycle and “began to express his anger with her for denying his guest access.”

“Why are you wasting my f---ing time, you need to let my guest through the f---ing gate,” Brown told the guard, according to the police report.

“Brown then approached the guard shack and began to strike one of the surveillance cameras, causing it to break,” the report said. The guard was unsure if he used his hand or some sort of object.

But Brown left — and the guest pulled back around trying to get in. The guard, the report said, again denied him access. Brown returned, cursed the guard and “threw his bicycle at the guard gate arm,” causing the gate to get stuck in the up position. The report said Brown got into the blue car and they drove off into the neighborhood.

A Hollywood police officer visited the property manager at Hollywood Oaks, who reported that Brown also entered her office, began cursing at her repeatedly. “Brown called her a racist b---h,” the report said.

Brown also pulled some COVID-19 guidelines fliers off the wall “and threw them on the floor,” the report said.

Berman, the HOA president, told the Herald that Brown was upset that day because the board had earlier fined him for unspecified rules violations, and changed his gate ”privileges,” forcing him to come to the security shack to meet guests.

“It was just kind of an emotional reaction,” said Berman, who also called him a “hero” for helping Tampa Bay beat the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

An officer reviewed surveillance footage that showed Brown striking the camera and throwing the bicycle, the report said. The blue bicycle remained at the guard shack, wedged between the guard arm and the arm’s motor. The video system is valued at $300, the report said.

Berman, the president of the HOA, told police she didn’t want to pursue charges but instead would “consult” with the board “on how to proceed with Brown,” the report said. Berman told the Herald that Brown has since replaced the camera and paid his fine, and has since had his gate privileges restored.

Brown, who grew up in Liberty City and graduated from Miami Norland Senior High, was traded from the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Oakland Raiders after a 2019 off-season. He was released before the regular season. He was then picked up by the New England Patriots, but was cut after only one game after a former trainer filed a lawsuit alleging a series of sexual assaults.

He is awaiting a civil trial in that case.

This story was originally published November 16, 2020 at 3:58 PM.