Football: Linebacker could face charges of verbal assault

Redshirt freshman linebacker Xavier Burgess will know by the end
of the week whether he will face misdemeanor charges for allegedly
verbally assaulting a UCLA parking enforcement officer, the office
of the Los Angeles city attorney said.

Burgess, 19, was originally arrested on suspicion of felony
verbal assault, according to a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s
report. He could still face jail time if he is convicted and
receives the maximum sentence for the alleged misdemeanor.

“We are currently reviewing the case,” city attorney
spokesman Frank Mateljan said. “A determination has not yet
been made on whether to file charges, but we should know by the end
of the week.”

Burgess allegedly threatened a male parking enforcement officer
in the Sproul Hall turnaround on Monday evening around 8 p.m.,
according to a university police report.

“There was a confrontation between the parking enforcement
officer and Mr. Burgess,” UCPD police spokeswoman Nancy
Greenstein said. “It was enough that the officer felt fearful
for his personal safety.”

Subsequently, after the enforcement officer called UCPD, Burgess
was apprehended near Rieber Hall.

Burgess was unable to post the $50,000 bail and spent Monday and
Tuesday nights in a West Hollywood jail.

After Burgess was arraigned Wednesday morning in LAX Municipal
Court, he was released from jail. During the arraignment, his case
was transferred by the district attorney to the city attorney, a
sign of reduced charges.

“I’m not sure why it was rejected by the district
attorney,” Mateljan said. “Still, they certainly felt
it appropriate to forward it to our office to review. We will make
our choice after a thorough investigation, including interviews
with any witnesses and the police officers involved.”

The UCPD is conducting a follow-up investigation of its own,
Mateljan said.

Phone calls to UCLA parking director Renee Fortier were not
returned.

UCLA head coach Karl Dorrell has yet to render a verdict. Marcus
Cassel and John Sciarra were each handed one-game suspensions
earlier this year for separate arrests, but Dorrell is taking a
wait-and-see approach with Burgess, who has missed the past several
weeks with a hip strain.

“I don’t want to do anything until we get all the
facts,” Dorrell said.

While they continue to practice and prepare for this
week’s game against Stanford, Burgess’ teammates seem
to sympathize with his situation.

“Xavier has to take care of his business,” middle
linebacker Justin London said. “That has nothing to do with
football. We’re all praying for him and hope he gets back
soon.”

After redshirting last year, Burgess has mainly played on
special teams this year and does not have a tackle to his credit
this season. On the depth chart, he was listed as the third-string
outside linebacker behind starter Spencer Havner and backup Wesley
Walker.

Burgess originally came to Westwood as a highly touted
linebacker out of Sacramento’s Grant Union High, ranked as
the fourth best linebacker in the West by PacWestFootball.com. With
the impending loss of Brandon Chillar to graduation, Burgess was a
possible candidate to replace Chillar next year.

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