Australian-born England rugby star Billy Vunipola has been tasered and arrested after an alleged violent incident in Majorca, local reports have said.
Vunipola’s domestic club Saracens said they were aware of an incident involving the player and would be dealing with the matter internally.
The 31-year-old was reportedly tasered twice by police after arriving at a bar in the island’s capital Palma in the early hours of Sunday morning (local time).
Local reports suggest he appeared in court on Sunday and has since been released on bail pending an ongoing investigation.
According to a National Police statement in Majorca: “In the early hours of [Sunday] morning, at 4.30am, we arrested a 31-year-old foreign man on suspicion of a crime of disobedience and assaulting a police officer.
“The events took place in a leisure establishment on the seafront in Palma, when a man was causing altercations inside the establishment. The man would not listen to reason and confronted the rest of the customers, and the security staff were unable to restrain him or remove him from the premises.
“The police were alerted and the officers, on seeing the man, who was shirtless and making gestures with his hands, cleared the premises. It was then that he confronted the police and attempted to assault the officers.
“The police officers tried at all times to get him to calm down, but the man would not listen to reason. At that moment, the man pushed and slapped an officer and a policeman pulled out his electric stun gun and fired a first time although the gun didn’t discharge.
“A second projectile was then fired, which did the job, and it was then that the officers jumped on him and proceeded to immobilise him by shackling him, later taking him to Son Espases hospital for assessment and arrest.
“[On Sunday] afternoon he was taken to court and released on bail pending an ongoing investigation. The identification of the alleged perpetrator cannot be provided in order to preserve his privacy.”
A Saracens statement on social media said: “Saracens is aware of an incident involving Billy Vunipola in Majorca.
Billy Vunipola of England looks on before being shown a yellow card in 2023. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
“We will of course deal with this incident internally, and will not make any further comment until then.”
Vunipola is expected to leave Saracens at the end of this season and has previously been linked with a move to France – although nothing has been confirmed.
Born in Sydney to Tongan parents, the family moved to Wales when Vunipola was a young child after his father, Fe’ao, signed for the Pontypool Rugby Football Club in 1998.
Vunipola has won 75 England caps, making his Test debut against Argentina in 2013. He is not currently part of the England squad.
The player made an appearance as a second-half substitute for Saracens in their 15-12 victory over Bath on Friday night.
Saracens are not scheduled to play again until May 11. They are second in the Gallagher Premiership and chasing a sixth league title in the past 10 seasons, with just two rounds of regular-season games left before the playoffs.
with AAP
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