Matt Barnes Reportedly Turns Himself in to Police for Assault Charge

Sacramento Kings forward Matt Barnes surrendered to New York City authorities Wednesday in connection with an altercation at a nightclub Dec. 5, per the New York Post's Larry Celona.

Barnes is facing a misdemeanor assault charge after allegedly choking a woman and then punching the woman's boyfriend.

USA Today's Sam Amick reported last Saturday that Barnes planned to turn himself in after the Kings completed an eight-game road trip, which concluded Tuesday in a 105-83 loss to the Houston Rockets. Sacramento doesn't play again until Friday.

In addition to a criminal charge, Barnes is facing a lawsuit from the alleged victims, Jasmine Besiso and Myrone Powell, that also names Kings center DeMarcus Cousins as a defendant, according to TMZ Sports. The lawsuit claims that Cousins physically attacked Powell after Powell came to Besiso's aid.

TMZ Sports shared a video of Barnes and Cousins outside the nightclub after the incident (Warning: video contains NSFW language):

A representative for Barnes told TMZ Sports that Besiso instigated the fight after Barnes accidentally bumped into her inside the nightclub. The representative said he was defending himself after some of Besiso's friends involved themselves in the fight, and Cousins was supporting his teammate.

Alex Spiro, the lawyer representing Barnes and Cousins, confirmed to ESPN.com's Marc Stein on Monday that Cousins won't face any criminal charges for his involvement.