Suspended Commanders defender kicked officer during arrest, according to police

Washington Commanders outside linebacker Dorance Armstrong kicked a police officer while being arrested during an incident in May 2025 in Frisco, Texas, according to police and court records. The NFL on Friday announced that Armstrong was suspended for the first game of the upcoming regular season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, without providing any details. 

Armstrong, now 29, was initially charged with assaulting a peace officer with bodily injury, resisting arrest and public intoxication, the first of which is a second-degree felony and punishable by two to 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $10,000.

Armstrong accepted a plea deal with “deferred adjudication community supervision,” meaning he pleaded guilty but the court held off on entering his conviction. He was placed on nine months of conditional probation in January and was ordered to pay a $100 fine and perform community service.

Neither Armstrong’s agent nor his attorney responded to requests for comment.

The incident took place around 7:45 p.m. on May 10, 2025, in Frisco, according to the redacted arrest report. Two officers from the Frisco Police Department were dispatched to a call for service from a woman — later described as Armstrong’s girlfriend — who claimed Armstrong was intoxicated and trying to remove her and her two young children from their home.

Officers arrived to find Armstrong standing outside with another man, Charles Gaston, who later told the officers that he helped manage Armstrong and his finances, according to the report.

The reporting officer noted that Armstrong smelled of alcohol and was “clearly upset” to see law enforcement arrive. He began to shout profanities at the officers, calling one of them “a b—-” and telling them to leave, the report says. The officers noticed that Armstrong’s right hand was bleeding and he had blood on his shirt.

Gaston told one of the officers that he and Armstrong had been at a “business meeting” since about 1 p.m. that day and that Armstrong “drank too many alcoholic beverages” and had been arguing with his girlfriend, according to the report. Armstrong and Gaston had not yet gone inside the home when officers arrived, the report says, and Armstrong had punched the brick exterior out of anger, injuring his right hand. 

While the reporting officer spoke with Gaston, another man, Michael Ledo, arrived and said he was Armstrong’s manager. Gaston and Ledo both attempted to calm Armstrong, according to the report. The second officer then went inside to speak to Armstrong’s girlfriend.

Armstrong’s girlfriend informed the officer that they had been arguing for most of the day but that there had been no physical altercation between them. She told the officer she knew Armstrong was intoxicated and was scared to have him come inside the home, according to the arrest report.

With the officers still there, Armstrong entered the backyard of the home through a side gate and pounded on the windows and doors and kicked the back door to try to get inside. The officers convinced his girlfriend to leave the home for the night, the report says. 

But Armstrong was able to see through the home and “started to ramp up” upon seeing his girlfriend pack her suitcase, according to the officers’ report.

As Armstrong’s girlfriend began to load her suitcase and children in the car, officers reported hearing glass break at the rear of the home. As they helped Armstrong’s girlfriend get into the vehicle, Armstrong emerged from the backyard. He yelled to the officer to “get away from my baby” and to “give me my baby,” but the other officer intervened, allowing the child to be loaded into the vehicle so Ledo could drive off.

Armstrong then allegedly turned his anger on Gaston and repeatedly tried to instigate a fight with him.

The officers reported that Armstrong’s “anger and unpredictability,” combined with the information that he punched a wall, made him “a threat to himself and others.” He was arrested for public intoxication and placed in handcuffs, but as officers began to walk him to the patrol car, he began to resist and started to walk in the opposite direction, they reported.

A third officer then arrived. Armstrong “actively resisted” being put in the patrol car, according to the report.

When the third officer tried to reach over Armstrong to connect his seat belt, Armstrong turned and kicked the officer in his chest, according to the arrest report.

Armstrong was transported to Frisco County Jail and, according to the police report, declined multiple offers for medical assistance.

As part of his plea bargain, Armstrong’s charges were reduced to a Class A misdemeanor punishable with up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine. Armstrong entered a guilty plea and was placed on probation that requires him to submit to random urinalysis as well as a substance abuse screening, and to avoid alcohol, drugs, firearms and any contact with the officer he kicked. He was also required to do 30 hours of community service, agree to anger management and pay the $100 fine and court costs.

The Commanders, who declined to comment on Armstrong’s arrest or one-game ban, adhered to the NFL protocols for reporting the arrest and supported the league’s investigation, according to a source briefed on the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak about it publicly.

The NFL waited until the legal process played out before determining Armstrong’s punishment. He did not appeal his ban, according to a league source.

A 2018 fourth-round pick by the Dallas Cowboys, Armstrong has been a starter on Washington’s defensive line since signing with the team in 2024. Last season, he led the team with 5.5 sacks through the first seven games, but he suffered an ACL injury that cost him the remainder of the season.

Armstrong opened training camp on the physically unable to perform list but returned to the field a week later.

His one-game suspension begins Aug. 30, the day NFL teams must pare their rosters to their initial 53-man list. Armstrong will be placed on the Commanders’ reserve/suspended list and will be eligible for reinstatement Sept. 14, the day after the team’s season opener against the Eagles in Philadelphia.