Former NFL Player Draws Gun On Off-Duty Law Officers In Ybor: Police

TAMPA, FL — Former NFL player Orson Reuben Charles is facing multiple charges after Tampa police said he pulled a gun on off-duty law enforcement officers after getting into a dispute over a parking spot in Ybor City Friday night.

Tampa police said they were called to the intersection of 19th Street and 8th Avenue at 11:55 p.m. after Charles, 31, of Fairburn, Georgia, got into a dispute with the driver and passengers of another vehicle over a parking space they were both trying to park in from different directions at the same time.

According to the police report, when the vehicle with the off-duty law officers entered the parking space first, Charles got out of his vehicle and approached the other vehicle just as the driver was getting out. Police said Charles pulled a black pistol from under his shirt and threatened to shoot the occupants of the other vehicle.

The law officers displayed their credentials, but Charles responded, “I don’t give a (expletive). I have one in the head," according to the police affidavit.

To avoid being shot, the law officers said they left the parking space and reported the confrontation to an off-duty Hillsborough County sheriff's deputy, who kept an eye on Charles until the Tampa police arrived to take him into custody.

Tampa police said Charles' concealed weapons permit was expired, and they found marijuana in his possession. He was taken to the Hillsborough County Jail where he was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, carrying a concealed weapon, possession of a controlled substance and introduction of contraband into a detention facility.

He's been released on a $6,250 surety bond.

A graduate and standout football player at Plant High School, Charles was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2012 where he played primarily fullback, according to Bleacher Report.

He was signed by the New Orleans Saints in 2014, the Detroit Lions in 2016, the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017, the Cleveland Browns in 2018, where he appeared on the 2018 Pro Bowl ballot as a fullback and was signed by the Denver Broncos in 2019 but was released shortly after.

He was arrested and charged with driving under the influence in 2012 while a top draft prospect at the University of Georgia and then arrested again in 2014 in Richmond, Kentucky, when he was charged with wanton endangerment after another driver complained that Charles had displayed a gun to the driver multiple times, according to Bleacher Report.