Maurice Jones-Drew Allegedly Punched Out A Bar Staffer [UPDATED]

Jacksonville Jaguars running back and back-to-UCLA student Maurice Jones-Drew has been charged with battery after he allegedly punched and knocked out a bar staffer over the weekend at a beach bar in St. Augustine, Fla., according to police.

TMZ first reported the incident, which happened around 8 p.m. during "Reggae Sundays" at the Conch House, a place that describes itself as "Northeast Florida's premier cocktail lounge." According to court documents, Jones-Drew KO'd the unidentified staffer with one punch after another staffer—who goes by the nickname "Hillbilly"—had intervened to get one of Jones-Drew's friends to "stop touching a young female." The friend responded by saying "I don't care," after which several of the friend's friends crowded around Hillbilly. That's when the second security staffer approached the situation.

The confrontation escalated when Jones-Drew's friend allegedly put his hands on Hillbilly's chest, which led to pushing and shoving. The unidentified staffer who came over to help Hillbilly grabbed the arm of Jones-Drew's friend, whereupon Jones-Drew allegedly told the staffer to stop doing so. The staffer eventually grabbed Jones-Drew's friend in a headlock in an attempt to pull him away. That's when Jones-Drew punched him on the left cheek.

The man Jones-Drew punched told police he had a bad headache. He was taken to a hospital by his girlfriend. Police said the man sustained "a large lump on his jaw bone" but that doctors determined the jaw was bruised and not broken or fractured. Jones-Drew, who was wearing a white tank top that said "Roots to the Roof" in black letters, left the area with his friends before the cops arrived. He's been charged with one count of misdemeanor battery.

Update (4:59 p.m.): The St. Augustine PD just issued a statement that says Jones-Drew has not been charged, but that police have "taken a notarized statement of misdemeanor battery" against him. The cops also now say Jones-Drew is "cooperating fully" with their investigation.

Just so everyone's clear, the St. Augustine PD initially put out a statement saying Jones-Drew had been charged. That statement, along with their amended statement that essentially says "Oops!" can be read below.

The complete police affidavit can be read below.

[ TMZ]

Photo credit: Associated Press