South Carolina women’s basketball star Ashlyn Watkins was arrested on kidnapping and assault charges Saturday in Columbia, South Carolina. .
Although details of the incident are unclear, Watkins allegedly “forcefully” grabbed the victim’s face, pulled her by the arms and pushed her into a student housing center on the South Carolina campus. He also allegedly “grabbed the victim’s head and forced her to walk down the hallway, thereby controlling her movements while preventing her from leaving,” according to a warrant obtained by WLTX19.
The woman then escaped and pulled the fire alarm, the report said, and was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Watkins was charged with first-degree assault and kidnapping after the incident. She was released on bail and is due in court in October. South Carolina said it was aware of the arrest and was gathering information, but had not released a formal statement.
Watkins is entering his third season with the Gamecocks this fall. He averaged 9.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game last season as a sophomore while helping the program to a national championship. South Carolina went a perfect 38-0 and beat Iowa in the national championship game to claim its second title in the past three seasons.
The Gamecocks are set to open their season on Nov. 10 against North Carolina State.