Police report in Larry Sanders' brawl shows two different stories



MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- FOX6 News has obtained the police report from a brawl involving Milwaukee Bucks center Larry Sanders at a downtown nightclub that left the basketball star with a broken thumb.

The altercation took place at Apartment 720 during the early morning hours of Sunday, November 3rd.

Sanders is accused of hitting a man in the head with a champagne bottle and claims he was protecting himself. Others say Sanders started the fight.

Surveillance video captured the chaotic scene as Sanders swung a bottle, threw others and had someone jump on his back.

The men listed as victims in the incident report are brothers. They tell police around 1:30 a.m. that night, one of them began pouring champagne for other members in his party when Sanders became upset for no reason and flipped them the middle finger.

The brothers say Sanders then confronted the group, grabbed a champagne bottle, swung it around and hit one of them in the face. The impact of the bottle, they say, caused a four-inch laceration that required eight stitches.

Sanders, however, has a very different version of the story.

Sanders claims he felt champagne from the VIP area spill on him while standing near the DJ booth. When he went to address the group, Sanders says a man pushed him while others in the party began punching and kicking him.

Sanders claims that's when he picked up a bottle from the table to defend himself.

Milwaukee police have since issued Sanders citations for disorderly conduct and assault and battery. Officials say they will be issuing citations to others who were involved in the coming days.

On Thursday, December 5th, Sanders responded to the incident on Instagram saying, in part, "I take full responsibility for my actions," and adding, "people are hypnotized by the media to feel and base certain judgement toward certain groups of people and they don't even know it."

FOX6 News contacted the brothers involved in the altercation. They both declined to comment.

The thumb injury Sanders suffered during the fight required surgery and continues to keep him on the sidelines.