Three people are in custody, and a deputy with the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office sustained minor injuries after a melee during Shaquille O’Neal’s appearance Friday at the recently opened Hartland franchise of the Big Chicken restaurant chain he founded.
According to a release from the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office, a request for extra security was made by Shaquille O’Neal’s public relations staff at 1 p.m. Friday. The staff indictated that the visit was not supposed to be public; however, the owner of the restaurant, Hafaid Gobah, had posted about the event on his public Facebook page, and area media — including The Livingston Post — had reported on the appearance, and a large crowd was showing up at the restaurant to see the basketball hall-of-famer, who was supposed to arrive at 2 p.m.
Deputies had already been assigned to duty at the Pinckney Homecoming Parade, as well as the Hartland v. Brighton football game in Hartland, which depleted available resources. The deputies who were available were dispatched to the Big Chicken restaurant to assist with O’Neal’s appearance, as nearly 300 people arrived to see him.
While deputies were on scene, a 21-year-old Howell man began acting confrontationally toward a deputy, who de-escalated the situation and continued providing scene security.
After O’Neal entered the restaurant, a bystander alerted deputies that the same Howell man who was being confrontational earlier was digging into a backpack; the bystander believed the man had a weapon in the bag.
A deputy attempted to talk to the Howell man, who took a swing at the deputy. The deputy drew his taser, and a 48-year-old Brighton woman who was with the Howell man attempted to disarm the deputy; she was joined by her 21-year-old daughter, and together they obstructed the deputy from taking the Howell man into custody for the attempted assault of an officer.
Two other deputies on scene went to the aid of the first deputy, and they attempted to move the two women out of the way so they could arrest the Howell man. When the deputy moved the women out of the way, they fell to the ground.
Seeing his two female companions on the ground, the Howell man then attacked the deputy from behind and tried to put him in a headlock/chokehold. The other two deputies fired their tasers, but they had no effect.
The three deputies were able to wrestle the Howell man into handcuffs, and they secured him. The two women were advised that they were also under arrest, but they continued to resist and tried to flee, but were taken into custody.
Inside the backpack was a BB gun that was a replica of a SIG Sauer. O’Neal was unharmed.
The three are lodged at the Livingston County Jail. The deputy who was assaulted sustained minor injuries, and the event continued without further incident.
Deputies were assisted on scene by the Brighton Police Department, Green Oak Police Department, and the Michigan State Police.
Big Chicken — located at 10490 Highland Road, on the south side of M-59 and east of US Highway 23 — is part of a 20-unit development agreement to open locations across Metro Detroit, Ann Arbor, Lansing, Flint, Saginaw and Mount Pleasant, by H&D Group Investments.
Here is a video posted to YouTube:
