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At least four police officers piled on top of NRL star Latrell Mitchell when they slapped cuffs on him for allegedly fighting with his NSW Blues teammate Jack Wighton after a wild night out.
Confronting footage shows the South Sydney Rabbitohs fullback crying out in pain face down surrounded by cops, screaming: ‘My shoulders, my shoulders.’
The close mates were celebrating Wighton’s 30th birthday in the Canberra CBD when the incident occurred about 3:45am on Saturday.
Police arrested and charged both men with fighting and Mitchell was also charged with resisting arrest.
They both spent the night in jail, but witnesses claim the pair ‘were just mucking around and having a laugh’ on the street after the Raider’s five-eighth was asked to leave Fiction nightclub in Civic.
Confronting footage shows the South Sydney Rabbitohs fullback crying out in pain face down surrounded by cops, screaming: ‘My shoulders, my shoulders.’
‘They ripped him across the road and jumped on him and tackled him for no reason at all,’ one witness who did not wish to be identified told 7News.
‘It was just really brutal and unnecessary.’
Michael Bagley, a local publican who saw the pair earlier that night also backed her claims.
‘If you think that they were fighting in any way shape or form that’s just pathetic. Just and absolute joke,’ he said.
‘They have been hung out to dry but they are good blokes.’
Hours earlier Mitchell posted a photo to Instagram of him and Wighton wearing cowboy hats accompanied by the caption ‘Happy birthday my brother 30th’ with a brown love heart emoji.
Wighton later re-posted it on his Instagram page.
Mitchell posted a shot of the pair wearing cowboy hats as they celebrated Wighton’s birthday (pictured) before the alleged fight occurred
The Souths superstar also posted a photo of himself with his wife Brielle during the big night out to mark Wighton’s 30th
ACT Police confirmed the duo’s arrests and charges on Sunday.
‘About 3.45am today ACT Policing responded to reports of a disturbance near a nightclub on Bunda Street in the city,’ the statement read.
‘Two men – a 30-year-old from Bywong, NSW and a 25-year old man from Chifley, NSW – were arrested at the scene.
‘The 30-year-old has been charged with fight in a public place and fail to comply with an exclusion direction, while the 25-year-old has been charged with fight in a public place, affray and resist territory public official.
‘They are expected to face the ACR Magistrates Court at a later date.’
Mitchell (pictured playing in last year’s NRL finals series) was charged with resisting arrest and spent the night in a jail cell
Wighton (pictured ahead of a finals match against Parramatta last year) was also charged by police when they attended the alleged fight at 3.45am
Wighton was hit with the failing to comply charge because he allegedly failed to obey ACT Police when they told him to leave the Canberra CBD earlier in the night, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
The NRL Integrity Unit is also investigating the matter and Souths released a statement saying the club informed the governing body about the alleged clash.
Canberra said the club is cooperating with police and Raiders CEO Don Furner reportedly drove Wighton to his home on Sunday morning, with Mitchell believed to be returning to Sydney.
An unnamed NRL player who witnessed the incident also claimed police overreacted.
‘They were just mates who had a bit to drink, mucking around,’ he told Nine.
An NRL player who saw the pair ‘wrestling’ accused police of a ‘massive’ overreaction (pictured, Mitchell playing against New Zealand in last November’s World Cup)
‘But then cops came from everywhere – about four of them jumped on Latrell and forced him to the ground and twisted his arms behind his back.
‘He wasn’t resisting and was screaming at them to stop hurting him.
‘It was actually very distressing to watch and my girlfriend was actually in tears. It was a massive overreaction.’
Mitchell and Wighton have been good friends for years, playing alongside each other for the Indigenous All-Stars side, the NSW Blues and most recently, the Kangaroos national side at last November’s Rugby League World Cup.
The mates (pictured at a promotional event in Sydney last October) have played alongside each other in the Indigenous All-Stars, NSW Blues and Kangaroos sides for years
The pair were due to come back to Sydney on Sunday as both are listed to play in the Indigenous All-Stars side flies to New Zealand on Monday to prepare for their game against the Maori team.
In 2021 Wighton backed his friend when Mitchell took a stance against cyber bullying and forwarded abusive messages to NSW Police.
‘I don’t usually comment on Latrell, you know, and he was copping it last year, but I think that was very mature and very good,’ Wighton said.
‘He didn’t make it about himself, he made it about what could happen with others. I think that was very mature and one of the best messages I’ve seen ‘Trell’ spread.’
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