Pitt men's basketball freshman and former top-rated recruit Dior Johnson has been suspended indefinitely from the team, and is facing five charges in connection with an incident involving a woman on Sept. 5 on the 3400 block of Forbes Avenue.
According to a criminal docket sheet from the fifth magisterial district in Allegheny County, Johnson faces felony charges of aggravated assault and strangulation, as well as misdemeanor charges of unlawful restraint, simple assault, and false imprisonment. The charges were via a criminal complaint filed on Thursday.
His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 20, at 1:30 p.m. at the Pittsburgh Municipal Court, according to his docket sheet.
According to the docket updated late Friday evening, Johnson was arrested, fingerprinted, and advised of his right to counsel.
The docket sheet also said Johnson was placed in Allegheny County Jail as he was unable to meet a bail of $25,000. The bail was later posted through a bondsman on Saturday.
A police report of the criminal complaint filed against Johnson was first published by WTAE-TV, while the confirmation of Johnson's identity as the suspect came from Pittsburgh Sports Now on Friday afternoon.
Late Friday evening, a Pitt athletics spokesman said via a statement that Johnson has been suspended indefinitely from the men's basketball team:
"University of Pittsburgh men’s basketball student-athlete Dior Johnson has been indefinitely suspended from all team activities pending the resolution of legal charges filed against him," the statement read. "The Pitt Athletic Department, which became aware of the charges Friday afternoon, will decline further comment until the legal process has reached a resolution."
A Pitt athletics spokesperson told DK Pittsburgh Sports that this follows standard policy of suspension when felony charges are involved.
Police say the victim gave a written statement via email. The statement says that Johnson was angry at the woman for getting his phone wet, and he slapped her across the face with "full force." Police also said that Johnson left the apartment around midnight with her phone and returned around 4 a.m. to return it.
The complaint also said the woman was trying to leave the apartment after an argument started around 8:30 a.m., but Johnson wouldn't allow her to leave. The argument later turned and Johnson, per the complaint, "got violent and repeatedly punched (her) in her arms, stomach, and head multiple times."
The complaint continues to note that the woman tried to call 911, but Johnson ran at her with a scissors, took the phone, and hung it up.
The complaint goes on, saying Johnson "continued to hit her multiple times in the arms, head and stomach making her throw up twice. Johnson attempted to call off from practice (it should be noted that Johnson is a basketball player on the University of Pittsburgh basketball team) because he did not want to leave her alone for fear that she would leave the apartment and call 911."
Police also say that she was treated at a nearby hospital for bruises and a concussion.
Reports surfaced throughout the day on Friday of the charges, but some, including from the Post-Gazette, were disputed at first over the identity of the alleged being the same Johnson that plays basketball for Pitt, despite the first and last name, description, and date of birth matching to Pitt men's basketball's Johnson.
Since-deleted tweets had even surfaced about reporters talking directly to Johnson and confirming from Johnson directly that he was not arrested.
(An arrest and a charge are not the same event. There can be a charge filed without an arrest being made.)
Johnson even went as far to tweet this on Friday, after reports began to surface:
Super Kap! Lol
— Dior Johnson (@3Diorjohnson) October 7, 2022
Johnson is one of the highest-rated recruits ever to join Pitt's program, and he's the highest rated to ever sign to play for coach Jeff Capel, according to 247Sports. The Castaic, Calif. native was a four-star prospect and rated at No. 35 on the ESPN 100 for the 2022 class.
This story was originally posted at 6:05 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 7. It was last updated at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 8.
