Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold was arrested late Wednesday in Tampa, Fla., and charged with four counts of kidnapping and four counts of armed robbery. Jail records showed Arnold turned himself in and was booked in Hillsborough County's Orient Road Jail.
Arnold's arrest is related to an ongoing criminal case in which six codefendants have been charged with assaulting and robbing three men in an apartment. According to court documents filed by Hillsborough prosecutors, the six codefendants—Arianna Del Valle, Jasmine Randazzo, Lyndell Hudson, Christion Williams, Boakai Hilton Jr., and Freddie Lee Hughes III—lured the alleged victims into an apartment because they believed the three were responsible for previously burglarizing an Airbnb that Arnold had rented in Largo, Fla. Once the three alleged victims were lured into the apartment, court documents said they were held at gunpoint, pistol-whipped, interrogated, and robbed. (The same record said, "There is no evidence that any of the victims are involved in the theft.")
Arnold's Airbnb was burglarized twice, he told police, once in late January and again in early February. On Feb. 3, Arnold spoke with Largo police and reported property loss of more than $250,000, the Detroit Free Press reported. Arnold told officers that he suspected that two of the three men who were allegedly kidnapped and beaten were responsible for the Airbnb burglary, but investigators ultimately determined they were not involved.
The alleged kidnapping happened after midnight on Feb. 4. According to law enforcement, one of the alleged victims was a driver that Arnold and his friends had hired to take them to and from the Airbnb in Largo.
Investigators said in court documents that Williams and Hudson carried out the interrogation and beatings of the three alleged victims while getting instructions from Hilton. (In a separate court record, prosecutors said Del Valle "broadcast the confrontation with her phone" while Randazzo and Hilton "joined the livestream to watch and direct actions against the victims.") Hilton also is accused of creating a group chat with his codefendants in which the kidnapping was planned, and the victims told law enforcement that he observed and directed their interrogations over FaceTime.
Prosecutors said in court documents that Hilton "orchestrated the ambush" over text message while in a car with Arnold. One message, allegedly sent from Randazzo to Del Valle, instructs Del Valle to hold the alleged victims until "terrion [a]nd Boakai [Hilton] and Fredo [another friend]" got to the apartment.
The Detroit Free Press' Dave Birkett, who broke the news of Arnold's arrest on Wednesday night, reported that Del Valle and Randazzo agreed to plea deals on Wednesday, just hours before Arnold's arrest. Birkett said that both agreed to testify for the state in any future proceedings related to the case.
Denise White, CEO of EAG Sports Management, released a statement to the media on behalf of Arnold, denying his involvement in the kidnapping:
There is no credible evidence linking Mr. Arnold to these allegations. Instead, the government appears to be relying on testimony from multiple convicted felons who have admitted their own involvement and may have substantial incentives to shift blame in an effort to lessen their sentences.
Mr. Arnold looks forward to his day in court and is confident that the judicial process will lead to his ultimate vindication.
Arnold, 23, was drafted in the first round of the 2024 draft and played 24 games for the Lions during his first two NFL seasons.
