Two NFL Players Accused of Armed Robbery in Florida, Lawyers Proclaim Clients Innocent

Posted on: May 16, 2020, 09:10h. 

Last updated on: May 17, 2020, 10:07h.

The lawyer for DeAndre Baker said the New York Giants cornerback voluntarily went into police custody, Saturday morning. That happened a day and a half after police in Miramar, Fla., announced they had warrants for him and Seattle Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar tied to an alleged armed robbery at a party late Wednesday in the South Florida town.

Baker Dunbar robbery
Quinton Dunbar (left) and DeAndre Baker are accused of robbing victims of more than $70,000 in cash and goods at a party in Florida earlier this week. Lawyers for both men say their clients are innocent. (Images: Keith Allison-Flickr/NY Daily News)

The two NFL players are alleged to have taken more than $70,000 in cash and property from a party Wednesday night, with victims telling police the accused men lost a similar amount gambling at a party earlier in the week.

I am a believer in the system and that if everything works, the matter will be appropriately resolved,” Bradford Cohen said in a statement posted on his Instagram account. “Both my client and I have felt @miramarpd and the Detective working the case, were accommodating and went out of their way to assure Mr. Baker’s privacy during this hard time. That is not just lip service, it is fact, and we appreciate it.”

In separate statements Friday, Cohen and Michael Grieco, Dunbar’s lawyer, said their clients were innocent.

Grieco told Andy Slater, a sports talk show host for Fox Sports 640 in Miami, that he couldn’t believe the Miramar police were doing “a virtual touchdown dance” before delving deeper in the matter.

Report Claims More Than $70K Taken

The police department posted the affidavits on social media Thursday night. The documents stated that Baker and Dunbar went to a party at the house of one of the victims. People were “playing cards, video games, and gambling,” when the discord began.

Victims claim Baker and another individual referenced only as “Shy,” chose to knock over the table and draw their weapons. One victim claimed Dunbar was also allegedly in the room pointing a gun, but others claimed he was only involved in taking property and money.

One of the victims stated they met the NFL players at a previous party held two days earlier, and at that party, Dunbar and Baker lost about $70,000.

Among the items Dunbar, Baker, and others are alleged to have taken include a $25,000 Hublot watch, an $18,000 Rolex watch, and a $17,500 Audemars Piguet watch. They also are alleged to have taken more than $12,000 in cash.

The report also states two victims claimed Baker told an unnamed person wearing a red mask to shoot someone as they walked in the house. The report indicates no shots were fired.

Baker, Dunbar, and at least one other person left separately in a Mercedes Benz, a Lamborghini, and a BMW, the victims claimed.

“According to (name redacted), the vehicles used by the assailants were pre-positioned outside the residence in a manner that would facilitate an expedited departure from the residence,” the affidavit from the Miramar police stated.

Baker faces four counts of armed robbery and four counts of aggravated assault with a firearm. Dunbar is wanted on four counts of armed robbery.

Cohen: Let the Process Play Out

In his statement Saturday, Cohen urged the public to not rush to judgment on his client.

“This is my 23rd year in practice defending those who I feel are wrongly charged or wrongly treated,” he said. “That doesn’t mean that all police officers are bad or all are good. We all have jobs to do and I believe we all do them to the best of our ability. Police reports are just that, reports of what was told to them or said to them. Court is what we use to then examine those reports, investigate those claims and allow the Defendant an opportunity to confront the evidence.”

The Giants drafted Baker, 22, in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. In his rookie season last year, he played in all 16 games, starting 15. While he didn’t record an interception, he did record 61 tackles.

Dunbar, 27, played five years with the Redskins. But in March, Washington traded him to Seattle. He has nine career interceptions, with four coming last year.