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Detroit Lions linebacker Trevor Bates is facing felony charges for allegedly punching a New York City police sergeant in the face, giving him a concussion, after he was arrested for refusing to pay a taxi fare, authorities said. The incident unfolded early Saturday after the NFL player took a cab from a night out in Manhattan to the Hampton Inn hotel in Queens, prosecutors said. When Bates tried to stiff the driver for $32, police were called, and the athlete was taken to the 115th Precinct. Cops were ready to let him go with a desk appearance ticket but Bates, who is 6-foot-2 and 250 pounds, “refused to be printed and became increasingly agitated,” District Attorney Richard Brown said. “As NYPD Sergeant James O’Brien attempted to calm the defendant down, the defendant punched him in the face and need to be tased in order to subdue him. Sgt. O’Brien was transported to a local Queens hospital were he was informed that he had a concussion as a result of the punch and required three stitches over his left eye.” Bates now faces charges of second-degree assault, obstructing governmental administration, theft of services and resisting arrest. The Lions said they were aware of the arrest but had no further comment.