Many University of Alabama football fans are likely to fondly remember the night following the championship victory for years to come. Brian Downing of Smiths Station, Ala., is not one of them.
Downing was released from the New Orleans Police Department on a $10,000 bond Friday, following an arrest on charges of sexual battery stemming from an obscene prank caught on camera in the aftermath of the Jan. 9 game.
An amateur video captured the 32-year-old Alabama fan exposing himself and pressing his testicles on the neck of an unconscious LSU fan in a Bourbon Street fast food restaurant.
The video, nearly 5 minutes long, showed various Alabama fans approach the unconscious man. A man, eventually identified as Downing, first approached the fan and inserted two fingers in his nose and mouth.
Downing returned to his meal before going back to the LSU fan, unzipping his pants and exposing himself. He proceeded to engage in sexually harassing the fan while onlookers cheered and took photos.
On Monday, Jan. 16, New Orleans’ The Times-Picayune reported that the head of the New Orleans Police Department Sex Crimes Unit was aware of the video and had reviewed it.
On Jan. 19, NOPD released an All Points Bulletin asking the public for assistance with identifying the person of interest in the video.
“The video displayed the male subject committing a sexual battery upon another male subject,” stated the APB.
According to a Jan. 20 espn.com article, both LSU and Alabama fans helped NOPD collect evidence to get a warrant for Downing’s arrest.
The Times-Picayune reports that Russell County Sheriff Heath Taylor identified Downing to NOPD. Taylor is Downing’s second cousin. Taylor told the Times-Picayune that he recognized Downing, called Downing’s father and instructed him to bring his son in.
If the case goes to trial and Downing receives a guilty charge, he could face a minimum of 25 years imprisonment under the Louisiana Sexual Battery Statute because the victim was clearly incapacitated at the time.