Police have said there will be no charges filed following a brief investigation of an altercation involving Britney Spears.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) said CCTV shows Spears inadvertently hit herself in the face after her hand was pushed off French basketball star Victor Wembanyama’s shoulder at a Las Vegas hotel.
The US singer, 41, said she was with her husband, Sam Asghari, on Wednesday when she approached Wembanyama to “congratulate him on his success”.
This followed the player becoming top pick in this year’s NBA draft and is said to have received as much acclaim as LeBron James in 2003.
Spears claimed that she had “tapped” Wembanyama on the shoulder to get his attention before being “backhanded” in the face by a security guard.
The LVMPD confirmed on Thursday it had received a report of battery and on Friday told the AP news agency its investigation is over and “no charges will be filed against the person involved”.
Spears said the incident had been “super embarrassing” but she had wanted to share it to “urge people in the public eye to set an example and treat all people with respect”.
She added: “I cherish the tremendous amounts of love and support I am receiving at the moment. Thank you to the Las Vegas PD and the detectives for their support.”
Wembanyama, who is 7ft 3in tall, told US broadcasters on Thursday that he did not think the incident was a “big deal” and security advised him not to stop and talk.
He said a person had “grabbed” him “from behind” while he was in a crowded hall walking to a restaurant.
The 19-year-old San Antonio Spurs rookie said: “I just know the security pushed her away. I don’t know with how much force – and I didn’t stop to look, I kept walking to enjoy the nice dinner.”
When he returned to his hotel room he found out Spears was involved.
He also said: “It turns out it was Britney Spears but I didn’t know, I never saw her face.”
LVMPD said the incident happened on Las Vegas Boulevard.