By Associated Press’s Jeff Martin
Louisiana State Police said Thursday that a performer who held up a Sudanese flag bearing the words “Sudan and Free Gaza” during Kendrick Lamar’s February Super Bowl halftime performance was detained.
Following the issuance of an arrest warrant, the performer, Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, 41, of New Orleans, turned himself in, according to state police. He was charged with resisting an officer and disturbing the peace by interfering with a lawful assembly when he was booked into the Orleans Parish Justice Center.
According to state police, troopers started looking into the incident soon after the game at the Caesars Superdome on February 9 and discovered that Nantambu had strayed from his designated job and interrupted the halftime performance by carrying the flag across the field. He was pursued by security and law enforcement officers, but he disregarded their orders to stop, state police said in a statement on Thursday.
According to state police, troopers were informed by the National Football League that while Nantambu was permitted to be on the field during the performance, he was not authorized to demonstrate as he did.
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A lawyer for Nantambu who might be contacted for comment is not listed in either online court records or jail records.
Shortly after the football game in Caesars Superdome, New Orleans police announced that the cast member would not be charged, which led to the arrest. However, on Thursday, the charges were made public by Louisiana State Police.
Sgt. Katharine Stegall of Louisiana State Police told The Associated Press that after New Orleans police reacted to the incident, Louisiana State Police took over the investigation, in part because the performer had access to a highly protected area.
The NFL praised the Louisiana State Police on Thursday for their professionalism and hard work.
The NFL stated, “We take very seriously any attempt to interfere with any aspect of an NFL game, including the halftime show, and are happy that this individual will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.” The NFL prohibited the person from going to any NFL games or activities, in addition to the pending criminal proceedings.
The performer was one of dozens of dancers dressed in black. Standing on the roof of a car that was a focal point of the hip-hop artist’s performance, he raised the flag in the air. A number of men in suits then tackled him after he leaped off the stage and raced across the field.
It was unclear whether President Donald Trump witnessed the demonstration when he was in the stadium for the game.
Nantambu is named as the victim of a gunshot outside a Miami celebrity boxing event on May 17 in a different case.
Authorities claim that Antonio Brown, a former NFL player, took a weapon from a security guard at the boxing event and fired two bullets at Nantambu, leading to his being charged with attempted murder. Nantambu reported to investigators that his neck was slightly wounded by one of the gunshots.
