Conor McGregor Charged with 3 Counts of Assault, One Count of Felony Criminal Mischief
Conor McGregor remains in police custody after being charged with four separate counts stemming from an incident where the UFC lightweight champion stormed through the Barclays Center, assaulting a bus and injuring several people.
According to a spokesperson from the New York Police Department, McGregor has been charged with three separate counts of misdemeanor assault as well as one count of felony criminal mischief.
The three misdemeanor counts of assault carry a maximum of one year in prison each with a $1,000 fine. The felony criminal mischief stems from the amount of damage caused to the bus, which was in excess of $1,500. That charge comes along with a maximum jail sentence of seven years.
Because McGregor has no prior criminal record in the United States, it’s not likely that he’ll end up facing a felony charge as a first time offended. Instead, McGregor will likely be asked to pay restitution for the damage done with his attorney pleading down his charges.
McGregor is still awaiting a time for his arraignment before a judge in New York where he’ll answer to the charges and bail will be set for the Irish superstar. Once he posts bail or bond, McGregor will be released from custody.
McGregor surrendered to police around 10:30 p.m. ET on Thursday night where he was detained in custody after being questioned about the incident.
McGregor showed up to the Barclays Center unannounced and proceeded to make his way to the loading docks where two separate buses were parked with numerous UFC fighters inside awaiting transport back to their hotels after a media event earlier in the day.
McGregor and his entourage assaulted the bus by throwing several objects including a moving dolly and a chair that smashed through the windows in the front and back of the vehicle. McGregor was reportedly retaliating against UFC lightweight contender Khabib Nurmagomedov after he was involved in a separate incident earlier this week where he and his crew cornered featherweight fighter Artem Lobov in the host hotel in Brooklyn.
McGregor then arrived in New York from Ireland where he reportedly sought retribution for his friend and teammate and that’s what led to his meltdown at the Barclays Center.
While Nurmagomedov never came face to face with McGregor, several other fighters were injured including Michael Chiesa, who suffered several cuts to the face as a result of the broken glass from the bus as well as Ray Borg, who got glass in his eyes.
Both fighters were later removed from UFC 223 and their bouts cancelled.
A third person identified as a UFC employee also suffered injuries during the melee.
UFC president Dana White later called McGregor’s behavior ‘the most disgusting’ incident in company history while warning the Irish superstar that he will likely face several lawsuits in addition to the criminal charges pending in New York.
