DETROIT -- Charlotte Hornets forward Derrick Coleman could face criminal charges for allegedly urinating in the dining room of a popular downtown restaurant.
The 6-foot-9 Detroit native allegedly relieved himself early Saturday in front of dozens of diners at Intermezzo Italian Ristorante, Police Chief Benny Napoleon said.The incident happened about 1:30 a.m. Coleman, 32, immediately was asked to leave. Police arrived 15 minutes later.
A police report said Coleman drove off in a Bentley convertible. He was neither arrested nor ticketed.
But if witnesses testify against him, Coleman could be charged with indecent and obscene conduct, Napoleon told The Detroit News. The misdemeanor carries a fine of up to $100.
"It's a big misunderstanding," Coleman told Detroit television station WJBK. "I'm going to leave it alone until I can straighten it out."
Coleman's attorney, Harold MacDonald, told the Detroit Free Press that he had not spoken with Coleman about the alleged incident.
It is the fourth time in the past five years that Coleman has had a brush with the law.
A Detroit Northern graduate who has a home in Detroit, Coleman was arrested April 13 in front of Chuck's Millionaire's Club. He was charged with a misdemeanor -- interfering with a police officer while performing his duty -- and released on $100 bond.
In 1995, Coleman was arrested and charged with refusing to move his truck and swearing at a police officer in Detroit. The jury failed to reach a verdict and the case ended in a mistrial.
In 1994, prosecutors in Manhattan charged Coleman, then with the New Jersey Nets, with punching someone at a bar. The charges were later dropped.