College Station police reports state that Scales was part of a fight involving four or five other men accused of attacking a Bryan man at a campus parking garage at about 2:30 a.m. Sunday, but the football player was the only one the arresting officer saw strike the victim.
The man told authorities that his right forearm was badly hurt and might be broken; he also had minor scrapes on his back and some swelling on his face, according to the court document used to arrest Scales.
The officer was making a traffic stop on Ireland Street when he said he heard aggressive yelling coming from the northside parking garage. He called for assistance from University Police, but once he noticed the fight escalate he let the driver go and raced to break up the melee.
"I yelled, 'Police! Stop fighting!' through the slates in the wall but it had no effect on the combatants," the officer wrote. "At this point three to four of the other males jumped in and it became difficult to tell who was fighting and who was trying to pull people off. What was clear to me was that [the victim] had been forced to the ground that he was badly outnumbered by numerous large males."
The officer said he clearly saw a man -- who later was identified as Scales -- punch the victim two times with a closed fist while he was on the ground and under several others, the document states. The victim also identified Scales as being one of those who struck him.
The victim told police he didn't know what prompted the dispute, only that he and a female friend were walking away from Northgate when the group of men used profanity in asking what he wanted. The man said they tried to ignore the taunts, but Scales kept coming at him, prompting him to fight back, documents state.
Scales, who turned 19 years old earlier this month, was booked into the Brazos County Jail less than two hours later and posted $4,000 bail before being released.
The charge is a third-degree felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $10,000.
"I don't know everything about that situation," Sherman said at his Monday press conference. "I have talked to him and I've continued to discuss things with him. College kids, out at night after a ball game, and not making the best decisions sometimes. I'm still investigating that and getting all my facts together. But that will be something I'll take care of."
Scales didn't play but was on the sidelines in A&M's 35-3 victory over Baylor on Saturday at Kyle Field. Sherman said earlier in the season they were hopeful that Scales could help the team, but the plan now is to redshirt him.