Fight breaks during Shaquille O'Neal visit in Hartland, three arrested

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HARTLAND TWP . — What started as an event for fans hoping to meet Shaquille O'Neal ended in drama Friday, when three people were arrested, one of them Tased, after a fight broke out in the crowd between attendees and a trio of deputies from the Livingston County Sheriff's Office.

Hundreds of people gathered at Big Chicken at 10490 Highland Road to get a glimpse of the NBA legend, who owns the franchise and often visits new stores. People started lining up around 2 p.m., but O'Neal didn't arrive until 6 p.m. due to travel delays.

According to a release from LCSO, the department was contacted by O'Neal's PR team at 1 p.m. Friday and told the visit was not supposed to be public, but the information had been leaked and they were expecting large crowds.

The Daily confirmed and announced the visit earlier in the week after a social media post and confirmation from a company spokesperson.

"Due to being contacted so late, the adequate number of deputies required for a large crowd were not able to be scheduled," the release from LCSO read. "This, along with the Pinckney Homecoming Parade and the Hartland vs. Brighton football game ... further depleted the available resources."

All available deputies were sent to the restaurant to assist with the crowd of about 250-300 people.

According to the release, while the deputies were on-scene, a 21-year-old Howell man "began being confrontational toward a deputy. The deputy de-escalated the situation and continued with scene security."

Once O'Neal was in the building, a bystander told deputies the same 21-year-old was making "assaultive remarks about the deputies and was digging into a backpack." The bystander said they believed the man had a weapon in his bag.

A deputy tried to make contact with the 21-year-old, who, according to the release, "took a swing at the deputy." When the deputy drew his Taser, a 48-year-old Brighton woman with the man tried "to disarm the deputy" joined by her 21-year-old daughter, "obstructing the deputy from taking the 21-year-old male into custody for the attempted assault on an officer."

When one deputy tried to move the women out of the way, according to the release, they fell. In reaction to this, LCSO said, the man attacked the deputy from behind and attempted to put him in a headlock or chokehold.

The other two deputies fired Tasers, but they had no effect. The three deputies were able to handcuff the man. The women were told they were under arrest, but allegedly continued to resist and tried to flee. They were also taken into custody.

A video posted on Facebook shows two women and one man arguing with three deputies. Two of the officers point Tasers at the man. The man put his hands in the air, but when the two women fell to the ground with the third deputy, he ran toward them and grabbed the deputy.

All three officers descended, one punching the man three times in what appeared to be the head and the other two Tasing him in the back. The two women continued to yell at officers while the man was placed in handcuffs.

All three were taken to Livingston County Jail and charged with multiple felonies. One deputy suffered minor injuries. There were no other incidents during O'Neal's visit, police said.

Hartland Township Manager Mike Luce did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

— Contact reporter Tess Ware at .