Florida State All-American Arrested on Battery Charge

Deion Sanders, Florida State All-American cornerback, was arrested on charges of battery on a police officer and disorderly conduct Saturday after a shopping mall dispute over the purchase of earrings, police said.

The arrest came Saturday afternoon after Sanders, a Ft. Myers native, became embroiled in an altercation with a store clerk at the crowded Edison Mall.

Tony Cail, the auxiliary police officer Sanders is accused of striking, was being treated at Lee Memorial Hospital. His condition was not immediately available.

Sanders and two friends, John Connors and Richard Fain, both of Ft. Myers, were preparing to buy a pair of earrings when the dispute began, Fain said.

Fain, a defensive back for the University of Florida and a long-time friend of Sanders, said the store clerk became confused over who was to pay for the earrings, intended as a gift for a friend of Sanders.

Witnesses told the Ft. Myers News-Press that Sanders got in a shouting match with the female clerk and later hit her on the shoulder.

When auxiliary police officers entered the fracas, Sanders lashed back at one of them, Fain told the newspaper.

One of several witnesses in the store, Gayle Cooke, told the Ft. Myers News-Press that Sanders struck the female clerk twice with a clenched fist on the shoulder. Fain, however, says he did not see Sanders strike the woman.

Sanders, a two-time All-American and one of three finalists for the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s best defensive back, intercepted 5 passes and returned 2 for touchdowns despite missing 2 games in October. He also led the nation in punt returns with a 15.24-yard average--33 returns for 503 yards and 1 touchdown.