- Matias Messi was involved in a car collision and the victim claimed he was threatened with a gun by him
- Police said they did not see a gun in Matias car but found cannabis cigarette which he smoked
- The elder brother of the Barcelona superstar has also been involved in a gun related crime in 2015 and 2016
Matias Messi, brother of Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi, has reportedly been arrested in Argentina for deliberately hitting a car and threatened the victim with a gun.
The victim named Javier Rivera said that the 35-year-old fled the scene after taking the gun out of his car boot following a struggle.
The 24-year-old victim also told Argentinian media Matias deliberately damaged his vehicle before driving off and being stopped by police after a crash.
Matias Messi. Photo Credit: BACKGRID
Rivera said: “I parked up to see why he had hit me and when I got out saw the other person who immediately began to insult me and then assaulted me and ripped my T-shirt.
“Then he began to threaten me and went back to his car and got out a weapon.
“After the struggle he returned to his vehicle and tried to run me over.
“He escaped from the police twice before he was caught.”
Matias was being held at a police station in Pinamar on Sunday, March 4, near the scene of the accident, a well-known nightclub in Villa Gesell called Pueblo Limite.
Police claim there was no firearm found with Matias but there were evidences that he had cannabis cigarettes in the vehicle.
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Rivera's lawyer, Atilio Roncoroni, also gave a testimony about the aggravated criminal threat said: “My client was hit from behind as he was leaving Villa Gesell to head to Pinamar where he works.
“He said the other man was absolutely livid and began to insult him despite having been the one who had hit him from behind.
“He said there was a struggle and the other man told him, ‘Don’t you know who I am!’ before going back to the car and getting out something from the boot.
“My client says he had a gun in his hand when he came back, like one of the pistols the police use, and there was another struggle.
“Witnesses say they separated and the other man got back in his vehicle and tried to hit my client who was behind his car and dodged him.
“He got a few feet up the road and turned back round again and when he was about to hit my client’s vehicle he swerved but damaged the side of his car and left.”
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He added that Messi's brother had only been held half an hour later after a police chase.
“I know Matias Messi is in the police station and I don’t know what decision prosecutors will take but my client is going to report him for threats with a firearm and wounding.”
The footballer's brother was arrested and released on bail for possessing an illegal firearm when he suffered a boat accident on the Parana River and had to be towed away by local fisherman as he became stranded on a sand bar last November.
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Matias also had a crime related history in 2015 when he was accused of illegal possession of a weapon after police discovered an unlicensed pistol in his Audi during a stop in October 2015.
However, Lionel, has been having a fantastic season with Barcelona and the latest of his goal collections was a stunning free kick that beat Atletico Madrid's goalkeeper Yan Oblak, made the difference between both sides restoring an eight point lead at the top of La Liga.
Messi is perfectly placed for another Ballon d'Or award and of course if he leads Barcelona and Argentina all through their respective trophies in the calendar year.
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Source: Sports.naija.ng