Following a widely circulated video of a Bourbon Street altercation, the New Orleans Police Department has released an arrest warrant for Nate Diaz on suspicion of second-degree battery.
Karen A. Boudrie, an NOPD spokesperson, confirmed the charges to MMA Fighting on Monday night, but no further information on the warrant was provided.
“There has been an arrest warrant issued — he is not in custody,” Boudrie said.
Diaz’s representative declined comment when reached by MMA Fighting.
According to Boudrie, the charge against Nate Diaz was filed after collecting footage of the incident, which involved Diaz allegedly choking Rodney Peterson, who bears a resemblance to Logan Paul, until he lost consciousness. The altercation erupted from a brawl that spilled out of a bar. Peterson later displayed a gruesome head injury and vowed to seek revenge against Diaz.
Diaz had been in New Orleans to support his teammate Chris Avila, who was competing at Misfits Boxing 6.
Boudrie said Bourbon Street police were called to break up a large fight. One officer can be seen in the video trying to deescalate the brawl spilling out of the bar but missed a blond-haired man — identified as Peterson — falling back unconscious to the concrete.
The NOPD subsequently released a statement on the altercation and the charge against Diaz.
“At or about 2:10am on Saturday April 22- NOPD’s Bourbon Street. Promenade officers and supervisors were alerted to a large altercation in the 400 block of Bourbon St,” the statement read. “The officers were able to disperse the crowd. Witness alerted the officers to a white male subject who was believed to be unconscious. 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. He is not in custody at this time.”
In Louisiana, second-degree battery is considered a felony and can result in a sentence of up to eight years in prison, with or without hard labor, a fine of $2,000, or both.
The street brawl occurred after an altercation at the arena for an influencer boxing event, during which Diaz threw a water bottle at Chase DeMoor, leading to a scuffle that was broken up by security.
Diaz, 38, is scheduled to face Jake Paul in a boxing match in August, marking his first appearance since becoming a free agent after leaving the UFC.