NOPD obtains arrest warrant for former UFC star Nate Diaz after alleged Bourbon Street tussle

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Mixed martial arts superstar Nate Diaz is wanted by New Orleans police after allegedly rendering a man unconscious early Saturday (April 22) during a tussle on Bourbon Street.

The NOPD confirmed Monday that an arrest warrant had been obtained for the 38-year-old former UFC star, and said that Diaz would be booked with second-degree battery if taken into custody. The department said Diaz is not in custody and it was unclear whether he planned to surrender on the warrant.

Diaz, a native of Stockton, Calif., was seen in New Orleans last weekend, attending a boxing match on Friday night and then being involved in an altercation around 2:10 a.m. Saturday on a sidewalk in the 400 block of Bourbon Street.

In a video clip widely shared on social media, Diaz allegedly puts a man with whom he was arguing into a chokehold until the man loses consciousness. Diaz appears to release the man from the hold and lets him fall backward, striking the back of his head on the street.

The NOPD said officers arrived to disperse a crowd at the scene of a “large altercation,” but Diaz already had left.

“(A) Witness alerted the officers to a white male subject who was believed to be unconscious,” the NOPD said in a statement Monday. “A short time later, the subject regained consciousness. Officers observed the subject was bleeding from the rear of his head and EMS was summoned to render aid.

“After investigation, an arrest warrant was issued for Nate Diaz. He has been charged with second-degree battery.”

Police can book suspects on criminal allegations, but any decision to charge Diaz with an offense would be made by the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s office.

Diaz left UFC last year at the end of his contract, and is expected to make his professional boxing debut later this year against Jake Paul.

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