MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/AP) — Timberwolves guard Malik Beasley is charged with using a rifle to threaten a family who was house hunting in his neighborhood in the Twin Cities.
Beasley was charged Thursday in Hennepin County District Court with threats of violence and drug possession, both felonies. His wife, Montana Yao, also faces a felony drug charge.
According to a criminal complaint, a couple on a Parade of Home tour with their 13-year-old child pulled up to the home Beasley and Yao ren in Plymouth last month, but saw it was roped off. So, they pulled up on the shoulder of the road to look up other houses to visit.
That’s when Beasley tapped on the window of the family’s SUV, pointed a rifle at them and yelled at them to”Get the f— off” his property, prosecutors said.
Beasley continued to train the rifle at the SUV as it drove off, the criminal complaint said.
Police said they searched Beasley and Yao’s home and found a 12-gauge shotgun, a handgun and an automatic rifle that matched the description given by the couple in the SUV. The rifle was described by officers as a SG Works automatic long gun assault rifle.
Officers said they also found leafy marijuana in the home, about 835 grams without packaging. Possessing marijuana in its original leafy form in Minnesota is illegal.
According to the criminal complaint, Beasley’s home was equipped with several surveillance cameras, and footage shows him grabbing the rifle and leaving the house out of the garage door prior to the incident. Officers said the footage also captures him laughing afterwards and “making shots fired sounds with his friends.”
Defense attorneys Steve Haney and Ryan Pacyga issued a statement saying that “we are cooperating with the law enforcement investigation and will carefully review the discovery in the coming days.”
The Timberwolves also issued a statement following the announcement of charges.
“We are aware of the charges involving Malik Beasley. We take these allegations seriously and will let the legal process run its course,” the team said.
The charges come one day after Wolves executive vice president Sachin Gupta addressed the team’s salary-cap situation and said there should be room to sign Beasley. He is a restricted free agent and averaged 20.7 points in 14 games with the Wolves this past season.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)