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COLUMBIA — A police report details the confrontation that led to the arrest of South Carolina women’s basketball player Ashlyn Watkins.
Watkins, 20, was arrested by the University of South Carolina Police Department at 2:54 a.m. on Aug. 31, according to documents obtained by The Greenville News on Tuesday. She was charged with first-degree assault and battery and kidnapping.
According to the arrest warrant, Watkins allegedly assaulted the victim by “forcefully grabbing her face, pulling her hair and pushing her.” Watkins also “grabbed the victim’s head, forcing her to walk down the hall, thus controlling her movement while preventing her from leaving.” The warrant said the victim was able to free herself and pull a fire alarm and was ultimately treated by EMS for non-life threatening injuries.
Some aspects of the police report also obtained by The Greenville News were redacted. The victim was not named and referred to as a juvenile.
The police report said officers were responding to a pulled fire alarm. The officer wrote that they saw a group of individuals running towards a nearby parking garage, then heard someone screaming for help. As they got closer, they observed an individual leaning over the ledge of the third floor parking garage yelling for help and another individual holding her back.
Officers saw the victim was visibly upset. The victim told police she had gotten into an argument with Watkins and was attempting to get away from her. The report said the victim said several times Watkins hit her and that’s when police detained Watkins.
The report said the victim drove to see her “best friend,” pointing to Watkins but was later on the second floor of the parking garage to help a friend (not Watkins) who the victim said was sick. The victim said Watkins arrived at the location of the incident because Watkins believed the victim was cheating on her.
An officer then asked the victim again if she was hit by Watkins, and she said she was not.
When asked for her side of the story, the report said Watkins described the victim as her girlfriend and told police she was there to bring the victim to her car on another floor. The report said Watkins found out the victim was with a friend and asked her what she was doing there, and that Watkins admitted to grabbing her and walking outside.
Watkins told police that the two then returned to her room to let out her dog. While letting out the dog, Watkins said the victim began to run through the parking garage towards the edge of the garage, lifting herself up onto the ledge.
The report said Watkins told police she wrapped both arms around her because she believed the victim was going to jump from the edge of the garage.
According to online Richland County judicial court records, Watkins’ bail was set at $30,000.
The warrant said Watkins is to have “no direct contact with the unnamed victim,” and stay 1,000 yards away from the “victim’s house, work, school and place of worship.” Watkins will need “permission to travel out of state for games and practice.”
Watkins is scheduled to make a court appearance on Oct. 25. The Gamecocks first game of the 2024-25 season is Nov. 4 in Las Vegas, against Michigan.
Coach Dawn Staley has not publicly addressed Watkins’ arrest.
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“We are aware of the situation and are continuing to gather information,” a South Carolina spokesperson told The Greenville News on Saturday.
Watkins, a junior forward and former star player at Cardinal Newman High School in Columbia, had a breakout season in 2023, starting nine games and averaging 9.2 points and 7.4 rebounds. She was a key part of the 2024 national championship win, and in the Final Four game against NC State on April 5, she had a career high 20 rebounds.
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin
