SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Several men arrested in an alleged assault on the former pro hockey player Paul Bissonnette in Arizona last week are from Fort Worth, according to court records.
Henry Mesker, John Carroll, William Carroll, Danny Bradley, Edward Jennings and Sean Daley are facing assault and disorderly conduct charges, Scottsdale, Ariz., police told 12News.
Online court records show that Mesker, John Carroll, William Carroll and Edward Jennings have Fort Worth addresses. Bradley's address was listed as Lee's Summit, Mo. Daley had an Arizona address listed, though 12News obtained court documents that say he also had a fake military ID in his possession when he was arrested.
The charges stemmed from an incident at the Houston's restaurant in Scottsdale on Nov. 24. Police told 12News that the group of men assaulted Bissonnette, a former Phoenix Coyotes hockey player who is now a high-profile analyst on "Spittin' Chiclets," a Barstool Sports podcast.
Bissonnette had stepped in to help calm down a situation between the group of men and management, police said.
"The situation escalated to the men assaulting Paul Bissonnette both inside and outside of the restaurant," police said.
Bissonnette was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
After news broke of the incident, Bissonnette addressed it in a video posted to his X account.
In the clip, which racked up more than 9.2 million views, Bissonnette said he was eating dinner at Houston's when he noticed "a ruckus going on in the bar" involving "a bunch of drunk golfers."
"Things obviously continued to escalate," Bissonnette said. "They asked one guy to leave and then one guy kept getting in the manager’s face, put his hands on him and that went on for about 30, 45 seconds. And you could tell he was a little shocked and surprised and stunned. It’s a family restaurant."
Bissonnette said he went to intervene but the men "just started chuckling."
Bissonnette said a fight then broke out, and spilled into the parking lot and to a nearby CVS store.
"I got boot f----- in the head three times by the CVS, luckily didn’t get knocked out," Bissonnette said. "(I) did go to the hospital, so that’s probably what everybody’s reading about."
The story quickly gained traction on X, where Bissonnette has more than 1.3 million followers.
According to a report from 12News, the men involved in the assault may also be linked to an earlier altercation at a Phoenix golf club. An Arizona State University student claims he was punched multiple times by the same group while working at the club.
Bissonnette played six seasons in the National Hockey League, including his final five for the Phoenix Coyotes, who have since relocated to Salt Lake City.
In 2016, Bissonnette joined former pro player Ryan Whitney on Spittin' Chiclets, which became one of the top hockey podcasts.
