Khalil Lee, Photo by James Farrance
As reported by Syracuse.com, Syracuse Mets outfielder Khalil Lee has been “named in a warrant issued by Syracuse police for criminal obstruction of breath, a charge often associated with domestic incidents.” There have been multiple allegations of physical and verbal abuse of his former girlfriend.
On May 7, 2021, Lee is alleged to have assaulted his ex-girlfriend “by pulling her hair and choking her during an argument.” The argument is said to have stemmed from the ex-girlfriend seeing and confronting Lee about texts with another women.
A confrontation ensued where Lee is alleged to have kicked his ex-girlfriend in the thigh causing her to fall to the ground. The ex-girlfriend was said to have slapped Lee in retaliation. He is alleged to have responded by grabbing her box braids causing her to fall into “hit the kitchen island.” The ex-girlfriend then alleges Lee put his hands around her throat choking her for 10-15 seconds. She then left and stayed at a hotel.
As a result of the altercation, it is alleged the victim suffered multiple marks and bruises on her body. The ex-girlfriend took photographic evidence of the assault and reported the assault to the police department on May 8. On August 10, 2022, an arrest warrant was issued for Lee.
The report indicates Major League Baseball has been notified of the charges. At that time, Lee was on the 40 man roster, and he remains on the Mets 40 man roster.
Andy Martino of SNY reports Major League Baseball has “an open investigation into the allegations of the assault.” Martino also provided a statement from the New York Mets, which states:
The Mets immediately notified MLB upon becoming aware of the allegations. We will fully comply with MLB’s policy and cannot comment until the completion of the league’s investigative process.
While the arrest warrant was issued in August 2022, there were not published reports about it at the time. Of note, Lee was not in the lineup on August 12. At this time, it is not known if that missed game was related to the arrest warrant. Lee would return to the lineup on August 13 and would play regularly through the end of the season.
The ex-girlfriend has hired an attorney and filed a civil suit against Lee alleging assault causing her physical and emotional distress.
