Former Millikan High School football standout and Oregon Ducks wide receiver Ryan Pellum has been arrested on suspicion of pistol-whipping a man and firing two shots in the air on Christmas in Long Beach, according to court records.
Court records show Pellum, 19, was charged Tuesday with aggravated assault using a semi-automatic firearm and discharging a firearm in a grossly negligent manner.
The aggravated assault charge carries a potential penalty of 3, 6 or 9 years in state prison. The charge of negligently discharging a firearm has a potential penalty of 16 months, 2 years or 3 years in state prison, according to court documents.
Pellum was taken into custody on an arrest warrant Wednesday at an apartment in Springfield, Oregon, the Eugene Register-Guard reported.
The charges stem from an incident in East Long Beach on Christmas that sent a man to a hospital. The Eugene Register-Guard reported the victim required stitches for a head injury.
The attack happened around 11:19 p.m. on Dec. 25, 2024, on Stanbridge Avenue between Wardlow and Monlaco roads, which is near Wardlow Park, according to the Long Beach Police Department.
Police said two men who knew each other were in a “verbal dispute, which escalated when the suspect pistol whipped the victim. The suspect then discharged the firearm into the air multiple times.”
Police are still investigating what sparked the dispute.
Pellum did not see the field during his freshman year at the University of Oregon. He entered the NCAA transfer portal recently, indicating his intention to leave the football program.
Pellum caught 66 passes for 991 yards and 14 touchdowns his senior season at Millikan.
His older brother, Romeo Pellum, is the head coach of Millikan football.
A Lane County Circuit Court judge signed a waiver of extradition and order of remand stating California has until Jan. 23 to take Ryan Pellum into custody, the Eugene Register-Guard reported.
He was released Thursday after posting bail, KEZI 9 News reported.