Pittsburgh's Dior Johnson facing assault charges after allegedly assaulting woman
Pittsburgh suspended freshman guard Dior Johnson indefinitely on Friday night after he was arrested and charged with assaulting a woman last month, according to WTAE TV Pittsburgh.
Johnson was charged with aggravated and simple assault, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment and strangulation after an incident at an apartment near campus on Sept. 5 and Sept. 6, per the report.
The woman involved told police that Johnson first got angry with her at the apartment in question after she got him and his phone wet. Johnson then allegedly "slapped her across the face ‘full force,' causing her face to become very red and puffy" before leaving the apartment and then returning around 4 a.m.
Another argument took place around 8:30 a.m., when Johnson allegedly stopped the woman from leaving and assaulted her by punching her “in the arms, stomach and head multiple times.” She told police she called 911, but Johnson ran after her with scissors, hung up the phone and threw it.
Johnson then allegedly hit her again repeatedly, which caused her to throw up twice. He eventually left the apartment, and the woman left and went to the hospital — where she was treated for bruises and a concussion, per the report.
The university said they learned of the charges on Friday, about a month after the incident, and suspended Johnson.
"University of Pittsburgh men's basketball student-athlete Dior Johnson has been indefinitely suspended from all team activities pending the resolution of legal charges filed against him,” the school said in a statement, via WTAE. “The Pitt Athletic Department, which became aware of the charges Friday afternoon, will decline further comment until the legal process has reached a resolution."
Johnson, a 6-foot-3 guard out of Santa Clarita, California, was a four-star Rivals.com recruit and the No. 40 ranked player in the class of 2022. The Panthers are set to open their season on Nov. 7 against Tennessee-Martin.
