New footage has emerged of the moment Britney Spears was hit by a security guard for NBA player Victor Wembanyama after she approached him in Las Vegas.
News broke on Thursday (June 6) that the 41-year-old singer filed a police report after she was allegedly slapped while out for dinner at Catch restaurant in Las Vegas with her husband Sam Asghari on Wednesday.
The 'Toxic' star said she was attempting to approach NBA star Wembanyama to request a photo together and tapped him on the shoulder, when Damian Smith, the Director of Team Security for the San Antonio Spurs - the team that had drafted the 19-year-old just the previous month - slapped her, causing her glasses to fall off her face.
Wembanyama claimed that Spears had "grabbed" him, causing his security to react - however, the latest footage appears to back up the singer's claim she only tapped him to get his attention.
In footage obtained by TMZ and shared by The Shade Room, Spears could be seen hurrying to catch up to Wembanyama while saying: "Sir! Sir!"
The singer is seen reaching an arm out in front of her to tap the player, as his security quickly swats her away, making contact with her face, as one of the group yells out: "Woah, that's Britney Spears!"
After the incident, Spears went back to her table at Catch, and Smith is said to have approached her to apologize and mentioned the pressures of fan attention, saying: "You understand how it is when you're being swarmed by fans."
The outlet claims Spears accepted his apology, but her team made a decision to escalate the matter by lodging a formal complaint with the Metropolitan Police Department, accusing the security guard of battery.
The San Antonio Spurs player addressed the incident at a press conference, in which he claims he was "grabbed" from behind, before his security intervened.
He said: "I don't know with how much force, though. But security pushed her away. I didn't stop to look so I could walk in and enjoy the nice dinner."
He added that he was unaware who the woman that approached him was until later, adding: "At first I was like, 'No, you're joking,' But, yeah, it turns out it was Britney Spears."
Spears took to Instagram to address the incident, writing: "I’ve been working in the industry for years and have been with some of the most famous people in the world … NSYNC at one point were like The Beatles … girls would throw themselves at them everywhere we went … not one time in my life has a security guard ever hit another person!!!
"I’m not sharing this to be a victim … I SIMPLY GET IT HONESTLY … my reaction was priceless … BAD??? YES … I’ve had documentaries done about me and none of which I approved … I have felt helpless in most situations and my experience in Vegas and my reaction was a cry out on all levels … I will say it!!!"
She continued: "No, I don’t feel like I have been treated as an equal person in this country … of course when I watched the video myself … the people who actually swarmed around me when they heard me get hit made me feel like I mattered!!!
"I wasn’t aware of that at the time … all people could hear was me saying f**k you all … which was WAY BETTER THAN HITTING HIM BACK!!!
"Either way I’m still a huge fan of the NBA player … it’s not his fault his security hit me … s**t happens!!! I hope you're all having a wonderful Friday!!!"
Following Spears' reporting of the incident, Metro PD closed its investigation without filing charges against Wembanyama's security, stating that the guard did not "willfully or unlawfully use any force or violence upon Britney and probably cause did not exist an arrest was not made and a citation was not given".