A warrant was issued in Louisiana after an incident in a suburb of New Orleans.
A warrant has been issued for Seahawks defensive end Aldon Smith on the charge of second-degree battery after an incident in Chalmette, La., Saturday evening.
Travers Mackel of WDSU, a local television station, was the first to report that Smith was wanted on a second-degree battery charge in the New Orleans suburb of St. Bernard. The St. Bernard Parish district attorney, Perry Nicosia, confirmed the news to ESPN.
Nicosia told ESPN that Smith allegedly choked a victim to the point where they became unconscious.
The incident allegedly occurred at the French Press Coffee House in Chalmette. Smith, 31, does not have a local address but has relatives in the New Orleans area and was last seen in a Nissan sedan, according to the police bulletin obtained by WDSU.
The edge rusher has a history of run-ins with the law. Smith hadn't played in the NFL for more than four years before last season because of legal issues.
Before last season, Smith was serving an indefinite suspension for multiple off-the-filed incidents, including a hit-and-run DUI along with vandalism charges in 2015 that led to his release by the 49ers, the team that drafted him in 2011.
In 2018, he was arrested for domestic violence, assault and false imprisonment, which led to his release by the Raiders. He pleaded no contest to a pair of misdemeanor offenses in November 2018 to settle his domestic violence case.
Before that, he was arrested on suspicion of DUI, and in 2014 he was suspended for nine games for violating the league's personal conduct and substance abuse policies.
After his NFL reinstatement, he signed with the Cowboys, playing one season in Dallas before signing a one-year deal with the Seahawks on Thursday.
"We are aware of the reports regarding Aldon Smith," the Seahawks said in a statement. "Aldon notified us and we are gathering more information. We have no further comment at this time."
Smith was one of the most coveted young players in the NFL at one point. He had 33.5 sacks in his first two seasons out of Missouri and was first-team All-Pro in 2012.
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