Shaq Daddy goes Sprewell on Disney Employee

["Shawn Roth" <ufpdev!shawnr@uunet.uu.net>]

SHAQ FACES BATTERY COMPLAINT
(AP) - Shaquille O'Neal has been accused of grabbing a woman by the neck
while outside a night spot on the grounds of the Disney World resort earlier
this month. Kim Grant, a 23-year-old employee at the complex, was not
injured but filed a battery complaint in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., against the
Los Angeles Lakers star. O'Neal's agent, Leonard Armato, dismissed the
accusations as "completely false and without factual support." No charges
have been filed and the offense would be a misdemeanor, said Deputy Miguel
Pagan, a spokesman for the Orange County sheriff's office. The complaint was
filed Tuesday and Pagan said an investigator has not yet been assigned the
case. His office will try to speak with both parties and report to the state
attorney, who will decide whether to charge O'Neal. Grant said she notified
Disney security, but no report was filed.
She said she also informed management at B.E.T. Soundstage, where she was
approached by O'Neal and two men Oct. 5. Walt Disney World spokeswoman Diane
Ledder said Grant had a chance encounter with a Disney security guard
afterward, but she didn't make a formal complaint until Tuesday. Disney then
notified Orange County sheriff's deputies, Ledder said. Grant said she was
standing outside the entrance to Disney's Pleasure Island when the 7-foot-1
player asked her name and inquired if she had friends. The woman said she
tried to end the conversation after O'Neal and the men told her they were
"going to look for girls," according to the complaint. Grant told
authorities that she told O'Neal, "Be my guest." At that point, O'Neal
grabbed her by the neck, pulled her to him and said, "I was just playing.
Can't you take a joke?" according to the complaint.