Police Investigating OKC Thunder Ballboy for Death Threats Against Patrick Beverley


After Russell Westbrook suffered a season-ending knee injury, Mitchell Brown, a ballboy for the OKC Thunder, tweeted death threats aimed at Houston Rockets guard Patrick Beverley. The police are investigating the matter. Per the Houston Chronicle: “With Rockets guard Patrick Beverley receiving death threats via Twitter on Friday and Saturday following his collision with Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook on Wednesday, Toyota Center security officials took take extra steps to ensure his safety. ‘We definitely took precautions,’ Toyota Center director of security Bryant Savage said. He would not elaborate on any changes in policies or practices. He said security had been tightened for the postseason. ‘We definitely upped everything,’ Savage said. The vitriol about the play in which Westbrook suffered a season-ending knee injury escalated to death threats directed at Beverley, including one from someone who describes himself as a Thunder ball boy. Mitchell Brown sent a tweet that threatened, ‘Patrick Beverly (sic), I’m coming to kill you.’ He sent another using Beverley’s Twitter handle; ‘@pavbev21 I’m coming to kill you.’ Investigation ongoing Capt. Dexter Nelson, a spokesman for the Oklahoma City Police Department, said officers in conjunction with the Houston Police Department and the NBA are looking into what he described as ‘Internet threats.’ […] Thunder spokesperson Matt Tumbleson said: ‘We do not condone his comments. He works game nights on a voluntary basis. We will handle this matter internally.’ Shortly after Thunder officials were told of the tweets, Brown deleted them with an apology: ‘Yesterday I posted something completely Inappropriate and I need to apologize. I was out of line and it will not happen again.’ He later removed that tweet and said his account was hacked. Many other similar threats have been directed at Beverley, 24.”