Report – Prosecutors review warrant request for Lions’ Williams

The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office is reviewing a warrant request for the arrest of Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams on a concealed weapons charge, WXYZ-TV in Detroit reported Tuesday.

The warrant request for a charge of carrying a concealed weapon in a motor vehicle was issued late last week by the Detroit Police Department, stemming from an Oct. 8 traffic stop.

In a statement released later Tuesday, the Detroit Police Department said the investigation “continues to develop and new information has come to light that we are actively processing.”

“We take any investigation seriously, especially when new allegations and facts emerge, and we are committed to acting promptly and transparently,” the department said in its statement. “When new facts are confirmed, we make the necessary changes to our decision-making process.

“Let it be clear: no one in the City of Detroit is above the law. Anyone who commits a crime will be held accountable, regardless of their position or status.”

The warrant request was made after an internal affairs investigation was opened after WXYZ-TV asked the police department why Williams was not taken into custody.

“On October 8th, my clients were pulled over for an alleged traffic violation. During the stop, my clients were both cooperative and respectful to the police officers. With the two handguns found in the vehicle, they were both properly registered and the driver in the vehicle had the proper credentials to carry them. We have cooperated with law enforcement and will continue to do so,” said Williams’ attorney, Todd Flood. statement released to WXYZ-TV.

Before practice Wednesday, Lions head coach Dan Campbell spoke about the incident, saying he knew about it before the reports surfaced this week and that Williams was truthful with him throughout the process.

“It certainly doesn’t look good, I get that,” Campbell said. “But by the same token, it kind of all came together here at the same time, and it’s really decision-making for him. And that’s where he knows he can get better. Don’t put yourself in those situations.”

According to the report, Williams was a passenger in a vehicle driven by his brother when they were pulled over after midnight. Police asked Williams’ brother if there were any guns in the vehicle, and he said there were two guns — one in the back seat and one under Jameson Williams’ passenger seat.

The gun in the back seat was registered to Williams’ brother, who had a concealed handgun license. The handgun under the passenger seat was registered to Jameson Williams, who did not have a concealed handgun license, according to the report. Jameson Williams, who repeatedly identified himself as a player for the Lions during the stop according to body camera audio, was handcuffed and put in the back of a police car.

“I feel there was probable cause to make an arrest and he was detained by the patrol officer,” Detroit Police Chief Michael McGinnis told WXYZ-TV. “And because of that, he should have been transferred to the Detroit Detention Center and processed.”

But a supervisor and later a sergeant arrived on the scene and Williams was released after the sergeant made several phone calls to higher-ranking officers to find out if Williams should be arrested or if his brother’s concealed handgun license covered both weapons. He eventually called a lieutenant, whose comments cannot be heard on the body camera audio, and Williams was taken out of handcuffs and released. No police report was filed about the traffic stop, according to the report.

When WXYZ-TV was first asked, a deputy chief in the department said there was only one gun in the car; but when Chief James White learned about the second gun in the vehicle, he shared portions of the body camera footage with the station and ordered the investigation.

“Jameson immediately brought to our attention that he was a passenger in a routine traffic stop on Oct. 8. We discussed the incident with him and have kept the league informed of what we know,” the Lions said in a statement to WXYZ-TV. “We understand he was released without incident or citation. It is now our understanding that the Detroit Police Department is reopening the case. Jameson has retained an attorney and we will not comment further out of respect for the legal process.”

The traffic stop came two weeks before Williams was suspended two games for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. Williams said in a statement last week that the suspension was a “complete surprise”. He was also suspended four games last season for violating the league’s gambling policy.

“For me, I judge people by what’s in their heart, and I know what this kid is made of,” Campbell said of Williams. “And he’s worth hanging around with. So he’s going to learn from this, he’s going to grow, he’s going to get better at all of this.”

Williams, selected 12th overall by the Lions in the 2022 draft, is second on the team this season with 361 receiving yards and three touchdown catches.