Rison Faces Assault Charge After Late-Night Incident

Andre Rison, Atlanta Falcon wide receiver, was arrested Thursday and charged with beating his girlfriend and firing a gun after two men tried to stop him.

Police said Rison assaulted Lisa Lopes, a singer with the rap group TLC, after the two left an Atlanta nightclub early Thursday.

Rison was charged with aggravated assault and freed on $16,500 bond. Lopes was arrested for allegedly attacking a police officer. She was freed on $1,200 bond on a charge of obstruction. Both face a Municipal Court hearing today.

“First of all, I’d like to apologize to my organization and to my fans,” Rison said as he left jail. “All I was doing was defending myself. It was a matter of a situation where I thought I might be hindered or harmed, and I protected myself.”

Police said Lopes went inside a grocery store when Rison began striking her with his fist about 3:30 a.m. When two men tried to intervene, Rison allegedly told them “to get the hell out of there,” said Sgt. R.J. Dukes.

Police said Lopes then ran outside while Rison went to his car and got a gun. Rison threatened a woman who offered a ride to Lopes and fired a shot at a wall outside the store, Dukes said.

Rison said he was carrying a gun for protection.

Rison practiced with the team Thursday.