Davonte Pack, a close friend of Ja Morant, was arrested and charged with assault
Davonte Pack, best friend of Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant, was arrested and booked Wednesday morning at the Shelby County Jail, court records show.
Pack, who is also a co-defendant alongside Morant in a civil case, is charged with misdemeanor assault in connection with an altercation during a July 2022 pick-up basketball game at Morant's Eads home. Pack is accused of punching a teenager, Joshua Holloway, who has since sued Morant and Pack in an ongoing civil case.
During depositions in that civil case, Pack said he punched the teen. In court, lawyers for Morant said the warrant for Pack's arrest — which was granted July 10 — was issued after that deposition was made public.
The altercation at Morant's house began over a check-ball situation during a pick-up basketball game. According to depositions from witnesses, Holloway rolled the ball to Morant. Morant then threw the ball harder at Holloway's chest. The teen then threw the ball at Morant, hitting him in the face. Attorneys for the two parties have debated whether Holloway's throw was intentional.
The two then approached one another on the court, with witnesses saying Holloway "squared up" and balled his fists when approaching Morant. That was when the Grizzlies star threw a single punch, hitting Holloway, but not knocking him down. After Morant's punch, Pack said he walked up to Holloway and punched him in the head, knocking him to the ground. Witnesses confirmed Pack's account.
In an affidavit, Shelby County Sheriff's deputies wrote that Pack was not identified in the early part of their investigation, but deputies then "received deposition testimony from a civil proceeding. Pack, through deposition testimony taken on 5/23/2023, not only admitted to striking Holloway but further stated that he (Pack) did not feel threatened at the time he struck Holloway in the head area knocking him to the ground."
Multiple people, including Morant's father and mother, have been deposed in the course of the civil case. Morant, however, was not deposed. The case is currently paused as attorneys prepare to argue the constitutionality of Tennessee's stand your ground law. Morant's attorneys cited immunity under that statute, saying he was acting in self defense when he hit Holloway.
The affidavit filed in Pack's criminal case points to self defense being a potential reason for Morant not being criminally charged from the altercation.
"Statements from Holloway, Morant and witnesses present all confirm Morant threw one punch, striking Holloway," the affidavit read. "Holloway stated it was unprovoked. Morant stated after Holloway hit him in the face with the basketball, Holloway approached [Morant] in an aggressive manner so [Morant] struck Holloway once to defend himself. Investigators with the Shelby County Sheriff's Office were provided with affidavits from witnesses who were present, essentially supporting Morant's version of events."
Also included in the affidavit are injuries that Holloway had after the altercation, citing medical records that were dated the following day.
"Investigators were provided with medical records dated July 27, 2022 that show Holloway sustained bodily injury to include a hematoma to the scalp, sore jaw and headaches in the area where Pack struck him," the affidavit said.
He will be arraigned Thursday morning. A bail amount has not been set yet.
Lucas Finton is a criminal justice reporter with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com and followed on Twitter @LucasFinton.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Davonte Pack- Ja Morant's close friend- arrested, charged with assault
