Getty Quinton Dunbar has maintained his innocence throughout the legal process.
The Miramar, Florida, police department announced there is an arrest warrant out for new Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar. The Miramar police also noted that a warrant is out for Giants cornerback DeAndre Baker for an incident that occurred on May 13, 2020.
“A warrant to arrest has been issued for Deandre Baker, of the @Giants (four counts of Armed Robbery with a Firearm and four counts of Aggravated Assault with a Firearm.) Quinton Dunbar of the @Seahawks also has a warrant to arrest for four counts of Armed Robbery with a Firearm. Charges stem from an incident that occurred on May 13, 2020 in Miramar,” Miramar police department tweeted.
According to the police report, Dunbar and Baker have known each other since they were children. The Seahawks acquired Dunbar via a trade with the Redskins in arguably the team’s biggest move of the offseason. Dunbar took part in a virtual press conference just hours before the Miramar police named him in the statement. TMZ reported that the incident in question occurred when Baker and Dunbar were at a party together and the two NFL players are suspected of robbing guests at the gathering.
Cops say Baker and Dunbar were allegedly hanging at a cookout — playing cards and video games — when an argument broke out and Baker whipped out a semi-automatic firearm.
Cops say the men began to rob party guests … with Dunbar assisting in taking watches and other valuables at the direction of Baker.
Neither Dunbar Nor Baker Has Turned Himself in to Authorities
Quinton Dunbar this morning to reporters: “You just want to feel wanted at the end of the day…. I just hope to repay them with the way I carry myself as a person.”
There are conflicting eye witness accounts in the police report over whether Dunbar was armed. One witness told police Dunbar was “assisting Baker in taking the money and valuables” from attendees. Another witness noted that Dunbar and Baker had lost an estimated $70,000 at a Miami party two nights prior to the incident in question.
ESPN’s Brady Henderson reported that while police have had discussions with at least one player’s representative, neither party has turned themselves in to authorities as of 8:10 p.m. Eastern.
“On the arrest warrants issued for Quinton Dunbar and DeAndre Baker: A spokesperson for @MiramarPD tells ESPN that there have been discussions with at least one of the player’s representatives about turning himself in. But neither Baker nor Dunbar had done so as of 5:10 p.m. PT,” Henderson noted on Twitter.
The Seahawks released a statement noting they are “aware of the situation” but still “gathering information.” The team noted that they will defer to the “league investigators and local authorities” for further comment on the incident.
“You just want to feel wanted at the end of the day. …I just hope to repay them with the way I carry myself as a person,” Dunbar noted in his press conference earlier in the day, per NFL Update.
Dunbar Projected to be a Starting Cornerback for the Seahawks in 2020
The Seahawks traded for Dunbar with the hope that he would line up on the opposite side of the field as star corner Shaquill Griffin. Seattle’s secondary often struggled throughout last season, and Griffin was the team’s lone bright spot.
The Seahawks aimed to bolster their secondary this offseason, and Dunbar was rated as one of the top corners last season by Pro Football Focus. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll expressed his excitement about Dunbar earlier this offseason calling the corner a “playmaker.”
“I’m excited about this guy,” Carroll told Seahawks.com. “He’s a playmaker. We need depth at corner and we need to cover people up and we need to be able to match up really well. The division continues to get more difficult and challenging—excellent players coming in. So for us to figure out a chance to get to Quinton is great… It makes us that much more competitive and hopefully just adds to this coverage that we need to play the kind of ball we want to play.”
During his press conference, Dunbar called Seattle a “perfect fit” for him and noted that he grew up watching the Legion of Boom with Richard Sherman, Brandon Browner and others.
“When I first heard about a trade to Seattle, I was excited,” Dunbar said, per Seahawks.com. “I mean, what better fit? They’re a winning culture, they’ve been winning for a while. Then as far as the fit, I feel like their defense is who I am. I’m their ideal corner as far as measurables, and the type of mentality that I have. Growing up watching (Richard Sherman) and (Brandon) Browner, those type of guys, that’s who I tried to model my game after once I made the transition, so felt like it was a perfect fit for me.”