By: M.J. Baird, Josh Silverman and Kyle Levasseur
Hamden police have charged former Quinnipiac men’s basketball player Chaise Daniels (’18) with assault after he allegedly punched a woman in the face at a bar on Monday night.
Police arrested Daniels and charged him with assault in the third degree and breach of peace in the second degree, according to Hamden police arrest reports.
A witness at the location of the incident, a restaurant and popular Hamden bar known as Andale Mexican Restaurant, described what the scene was like around 10:30 p.m.
“So me and my friends were just standing there and to our right we noticed there was a little confrontation going on between a male and female,” witness, Patrick Hennessey, said. “All of a sudden we heard a loud smack noise and a girl hit the floor. A couple of minutes later Hamden PD came into the bar and escorted him out.”
According to other witnesses, Daniels was provoked before striking the female.
The arrest was made at 10:39 p.m.
According to Hamden police, arrests can be classified in different ways. Protocol on some arrests includes police bringing a person into custody and holding them at the station. Other forms of arrest allow police to issue a summons for a person to appear in court and allow him/her to go on his/her way.
There is no official confirmation on what type of arrest Hamden police issued Daniels, but witnesses have told Q30 that they saw the former Bobcat basketball player inside the bar after he dealt with the police.
Daniels appeared at Meriden Superior Court on Tuesday morning. The court referred Daniels to a family relations officer in what is being called a family violence case, and issued a protective order, according to court records.
It is unclear who the female is in the case.
Hamden police arrested Kayla Morley, 22, of Cheshire for breach of peace in the second degree at the same time as Daniels on Monday night, according to arrest logs.
Daniels last appeared in a game for the Bobcats in the 2018 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament this past March. The former Bobcats forward is a Meriden, Connecticut native, and had a storied basketball career in Hamden.
The four-year starter etched his name in Quinnipiac history in his senior season, becoming just the 39th member of the schools 1,000 point club. He finished his career second all time in school history in blocks (150), and was a part of a 12-21 (7-11 MAAC) Quinnipiac team under first-year head coach Baker Dunleavy a season ago.
Daniels’ next court date is set for Oct. 4.
This post was last updated at 6:20 p.m. August 29th, 2018. This article will continue to be updated as new information is released.
