“Reports are correct that Deandre turned himself in this morning,” his attorney, Bradford Cohen, posted to Instagram. “I am a believer in the system and that if everything works the matter will be appropriately resolved.” Arrest warrants were issued on Thursday for Baker, 22, and Quinton Dunbar, a cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks. Dunbar, 27, faces four counts of armed robbery with a firearm. Attorneys for both men on Friday said that witnesses signed affidavits maintaining that the two NFL players took no part in an alleged armed robbery on Wednesday night in Miramar, Florida.
Cohen said that police had treated Baker fairly but that there was more to the story than authorities had been told. “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 Bakers privacy during this hard time,” Cohen’s statement further read.
“That is not just lip service, it is fact, and we appreciate it. This is my 23rd year in practice defending those who I feel are wrongly charged or wrongly treated. 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. Don’t rush to judgement.”
It was unclear whether Dunbar also had surrendered. Baker was drafted by the Giants in the first round (30th overall) out of Georgia in 2019. He had 61 tackles, two tackles for loss and eight pass defenses in 16 games (15 starts) as a rookie. Michael Grieco, Dunbar’s attorney, told multiple media outlets that even his office received the statements from “star witnesses recanting within 48 hours” what they had told Miramar police, the police were still requiring Dunbar to turn himself in on the charges. “I have never in my career seen a police department so excited about arresting a celebrity,” the lawyer said.
Miramar Police spokeswoman Tania Rues disputed that claim while speaking with the Miami Herald. She said that four alleged victims and one witness identified Dunbar under oath.
“If any of them have changed their stories, we would welcome them to come back to the Miramar police station for a new statement,” Rues told the Herald. She added that the police department didn’t do anything out of the ordinary in the case because celebrities were involved. Grieco said that Baker and Dunbar, both born in South Florida, are not close. The Seahawks, Giants and the NFL issued statements acknowledging awareness of the case while providing no further details.