Who Is Daniel Schuman? Blake Griffin Charged Over Alleged Vegas Slap, Faces Misdemeanor Battery: Report

Los Angeles Clippers star Blake Griffin has been charged with misdemeanor battery for allegedly slapping a man named Daniel Schuman during a confrontation at a Las Vegas nightclub in October, according to a report. If found guilty, the 25-year-old forward could face up to six months in jail and a fine of $1,000.

Schuman, 39, says Griffin attacked him at Tao nightclub when his camera phone flashed the NBA star in the face, TMZ Sports reports. Griffin grabbed Schuman’s neck and demanded that he hand over his phone, the accuser says, then slapped Schuman across the face and told security to remove him from the scene.

Authorities obtained surveillance video of Griffin’s encounter with Schuman, but the footage did not capture the alleged slap, the website said. Clippers teammate DeAndre Jordan was at the nightclub with Griffin and said he wasn’t aware of the charge against him.

Griffin will be arraigned on Dec. 8, ESPN reports. Clippers coach Doc Rivers expressed support for his player in October. "I trust Blake 100 percent. He's a great kid. We'll figure it out and get through it."

The Las Vegas Metro Police interviewed Schuman shortly after the incident. Griffin has yet to publicly respond to the allegations, though a photo posted to Instagram confirmed that he was at Tao on that night.

In an unrelated incident, a satirical sports blog claimed in February that Griffin had slapped Justin Bieber across the face at a Los Angeles Starbucks after the pop star was disrespectful toward a barista. Bieber’s representatives denied the incident ever took place.

Griffin confirmed in April that he never slapped Bieber, but he joked that he would have intervened if Bieber actually had mistreated a Starbucks employee. “If he was tormenting a Starbucks barista, yeah, I’d have to,” he told Rolling Stone. “As a citizen, you do your part. Also, it’s a way of giving back to the baristas for never really leaving a tip.”