TMZ: Former KC Chief Johnson Refutes Assault Charge

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Larry Johnson said he didn’t choke a woman in a Las Vegas hotel, and should not have been arrested by local police.

The former Kansas City Chiefs running back told TMZ.com there’s proof of his innocence too, showing that he did not strangle a woman until she passed out.

Johnson told TMZ that the woman in question is an old acquaintance, and she became violent when he asked her to leave his hotel room after a night of partying. Johnson told that website that recordings from hotel surveillance cameras at the Bellagio Las Vegas should prove his side of the story.

Johnson was arrested early Friday morning by Las Vegas police officers. On Saturday, he told TMZ he pleaded his case to police working the scene, but they made the arrest anyway.

Johnson played for the Chiefs from 2003-09. He also played in Cincinnati, Washington and Miami before retiring in 2011.