'I couldn't breathe': Shocking violence of Texas coach Chris Beard's attack on partner detailed after arrest
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers' discretion advised.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or chat at thehotline.org.
AUSTIN, TEXAS: New details have emerged about the shocking violence of basketball coach Chris Beard, who was arrested Monday morning, December 12, and charged with domestic violence. The unidentified woman who accused Beard said, "He choked me, bit me, bruises all over my leg, throwing me around and going nuts. I just did not feel safe."
In the affidavit she gave to the police, she said that the choking or strangulation lasted for five seconds and interfered with her breathing. She described it by saying, "I could not breathe," adding that Chris had an arm around her neck. According to the affidavit, the woman stated she was Chris' fiancée and they had been in a relationship for six years. And further, she said they had an argument in which she broke his glasses before he "just snapped on me and became super violent"
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Explaining the details, she told that Chris was mad at her and he had not been communicating while he was at work and upon his return from work, she went to the guest room to check on him. However, while she was speaking to him in their guest room, Chris was lying/sitting upright in bed and was twirling his reading glasses in his hand, when she became frustrated. She then took the glasses from his hand and broke them. She went to their master bedroom. After 10 to 15 minutes, Chris went to the room and seemed upset about his broken glasses when she attempted to offer him a new pair of glasses. Following this, she and Chris were lying/upright in bed when she attempted to retrieve her glasses, she was thrown by Chris from their bed.
Here is the official arrest report for Texas men's basketball coach Chris Beard (I removed the victim's name) pic.twitter.com/kROHOvJfxQ
— Anwar Richardson (@AnwarRichardson) December 12, 2022
What do we know so far?
Chris was arrested by Austin police and booked at the Travis County jail at 4.18 am on December 12 on a charge of assault on a family or household member in which their breath was impeded. The charge is a third-degree felony in Texas, with a possible punishment of two to 10 years in prison, as previously reported by MEAWW.
However, through attorney Perry Minton, Chris asserted his innocence, with his attorney calling the arrest "inconceivable." Perry said, "Coach Beard is 100 percent innocent of these charges. He should have never been arrested. The complainant wants him released immediately and all charges dismissed. It is truly inconceivable," as per KVUE's Tony Plohetski's tweet.
BREAKING: Prominent Austin attorney Perry Minton, representing Beard says: "Coach Beard is 100 percent innocent of these charges. He should have never been arrested. The complainant wants him released immediately and all charges dismissed. It is truly inconceivable." https://t.co/QtZOcu8kkq
— Tony Plohetski (@tplohetski) December 12, 2022