Atlanta Hawks star Thabo Sefolosha’s struggle with cops is revealed in a new video made public on Thursday.
The NBA star is seen being grabbed around the neck and thrown to the ground by a group of 6 NYPD officers in the footage obtained by TMZ.
Sefolosha’s teammate Pepo Antic is shown sitting on the curb, accused by police of obstructing inquiries into the Chris Copeland stabbing. Moments later, a scuffle breaks out and 6 ft. 7 ins. 220-pound Thabo is wrestled to the ground.
One officer appears to have a hand around the star’s neck as he is taken down. After being handcuffed, Thabo is dragged back onto his feet and hauled away from the scene followed minutes later by Antic, who’s also in cuffs.
It emerged on Thursday that the swingman will miss the rest of the season with a fractured fibula as a result of the altercation.
According to the police report, officers asked Sefolosha and Antic six times to clear the area before they were arrested. The report claimed Sefolosha charged officers in an “aggressive manner.”
Police officer Johnpaul Giancona wrote: “When I approached the defendant to place him under arrest for the above described conduct, I observed the defendant flail his arms, twist his body, kick his legs, and struggle against me making it difficult for me to place handcuffs on him and complete the arrest. It took four officers to place the defendant in handcuffs.”
Sefolosha and Antic said in a joint statement that they will contest the charges. Sefolosha’s attorney Alex Spiro told TMZ the video proves that his client did nothing wrong. “I fully expect this case to be dismissed,” he said. “The video speaks for itself.”
The arrests happened in the early hours of Wednesday morning after Indiana Pacers star Chris Copeland and two women were stabbed. Sefolosha and Antic were not involved in the incident but were charged with three misdemeanors as police tried to preserve the crime scene.
