Chris Copeland Stabbed; Thabo Sefolosha and Pero Antic Charged with Obstructing
Chris Copeland was stabbed in New York City during an incident in the early hours of April 8 and required surgery on his abdomen and elbow.
Atlanta Hawks players Thabo Sefolosha and Pero Antic were charged with obstructing governmental administration after allegedly preventing police from setting up a crime scene upon arrival.
Continue for updates.
NBPA Chief Addresses NYPD Actions Against Sefolosha
Sunday, April 19
NBA.com's David Aldridge provided comments from Executive Director of the National Basketball Players Association Michelle Roberts regarding Sefolosha: "The best I can tell is that there's no video at all that anybody has seen that would justify the way the police treated him."
Greg Hanlon of Sports Illustrated reported on April 15 about the altercation that led to Sefolosha's injury
"A source close to Sefolosha, who did not witness the incident but has spoken to several people who did, told SI.com a divergent view of what happened from the official police account.
According to the criminal complaint against Sefolosha, an officer arrested the Hawks player and teammate Pero Antic after they refused six times to comply with his request to disperse from the crime scene. According to the complaint, an officer “observed the defendant Thabo Sefolosha run in an aggressive manner towards the direction” of another officer.
But according to the source, it was the officer who was the initial aggressor. The source said that while officers were dispersing dozens of people near the scene, one officer focused on Sefolosha, “and then he continues to track him down the block like a D-back tracking a receiver.”
At the time, the source said, Sefolosha and Antic were walking down the block to get into a car that would take them back to their team hotel. The source said Sefolosha did not run toward the cop as the complaint said. Rather, the source said “Sefolosha turns to him and asked in substance what the officer’s problem was with him.’” At this point, the source said, Sefolosha and the officer got into an argument, which led to Sefolosha’s arrest for obstruction of a governmental function, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.
"
On April 14, Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com reported that the New York Police Department's Internal Affairs Bureau had contacted Sefolosha's legal counsel about talking to him as a complaining witness. The NYPD issued a statement to TMZ, saying: "The issue has been referred to internal affairs, which is investigating the incident."
Later, Sefolosha spoke about the incident, via Arnovitz and Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
He issued the following statement, via Matt Moore of CBS Sports:
On April 9, TMZ posted a video of Sefolosha's arrest (warning: videos within this article contain NSFW language):
On April 10, TMZ posted a different angle of the arrest, which appears to show an officer attempting to strike Sefolosha with a baton:
ESPN: Source Disputes Police Account Regarding Copeland, Saltara
Thursday, April 9
A report from ESPN.com stated that a source disputed the police account of what occurred regarding Copeland and Katrine Saltara.
The ESPN report noted, "Police said Copeland and Saltara were arguing on the street as the attacker eavesdropped and started to interfere. The dispute escalated until the suspect pulled out a knife and started slashing, police said. Copeland's driver grabbed the suspect and held him until officers arrived."
ESPN provided the source's information disputing that report:
"However, a source disputed the police account, saying Copeland and Saltara were having a conversation outside the club when they were approached by a stranger. According to the source, Copeland told the person he had to go, and the person took it the wrong way, then pulled out his knife and stabbed the Pacers forward in the stomach. Saltara then jumped on the attacker's back and tried to put him in a chokehold, but she got slashed.
"
In a statement, the club disputed the police account. It said the altercation stemmed from a dispute at a public housing project about two blocks away from the nightspot.
"The incident occurred beyond the view of our security. Once alerted, the venue provided all assistance possible," the statement read.
The club did not say how Copeland got back to the front of the club on West 17th Street, where the street was splattered with blood from the altercation.
Pacers, Copeland Issue Statement
Thursday, April 9
The Indiana Pacers provided an update on Copeland's condition on the team website after he was admitted to the hospital following the altercation:
"Pacers forward Chris Copeland underwent surgery Wednesday on his abdomen and left elbow for stab wounds sustained early Wednesday morning in New York City. He is in stable condition at a New York City hospital. At this point there is no timetable for how long he will remain in the hospital.
"
Copeland commented on the support he's received and the incident itself:
"I want to thank all the fans, friends, teammates, coaches and the Pacers organization for their support and prayers during this time. I also want to apologize to everyone, particularly the NBA and the Pacers for my bad choice at being out at that time. I am doing as well as can be expected and I will work hard to make a full recovery.
"
Copeland Stabbed, Sefolosha, Antic Charged
Wednesday, April 8
Copeland and a woman he was with were reportedly stabbed during an incident early Wednesday at the 1 OAK club in New York City. Antic and Sefolosha of the Atlanta Hawks were taken into custody for preventing police from setting up a crime scene.
Rocco Parascandola of the New York Daily News reports that an argument outside the club shortly before 4 a.m. allegedly caused Shezoy Bleary to pull out a knife and attack. He was later arrested by police after injuring three people:
"The man who was arrested, Shezoy Bleary, 22, pulled out a knife and stabbed Copeland, 31, and slashed 28-year-old Katrine Saltara, described by investigators as Copeland's wife, in the arm and leg, the sources said.
The second woman, Catherine Somani, 53, was slashed in the abdomen, the sources said.
"
Benjamin Mueller of The New York Times provided additional details:
"One of the Hawk players who was arrested, Thabo Sefolosha, was charged with resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration and disorderly conduct after he refused to disperse and then “charged at an officer,” a police spokeswoman said.
"
The other Hawk arrested, Pero Antic, was charged with obstructing governmental administration, menacing and disorderly conduct. While Mr. Sefolosha was being arrested, the police said, Mr. Antic “physically grabbed another police officer.”
According to Charly Arnolt of Fox 59, Copeland required surgery for a fractured elbow. "According to source, it's not known whether Chris Copeland's elbow broke from being stabbed or because he possibly fell," Arnolt tweeted.
As reported by ESPN New York's Ian Begley, head coach Frank Vogel noted that Copeland's procedures had been completed and included surgery on his abdomen.
While police described Saltara as Copeland's wife, Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star reported that the pair weren't married, although they had been in a relationship previously.
WSBTV.com (h/t Brett Pollakoff of ProBasketballTalk) provided video footage of Antic and Sefolosha after the arrest.
The Pacers provided an update on Copeland's status, noting he suffered knife wounds to his abdomen and elbow:
Copeland and his companion were rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where the report notes they are listed in stable condition. The second woman, who was apparently with the attacker, was taken to Lenox Hill Hospital and was believed to have been slashed accidentally.
Bleacher Report's Jared Zwerling continued with more information:
Pacers president Larry Bird released a statement on the incident:
Antic and Sefolosha have been charged with obstructing governmental administration after police said they failed to move while a crime scene was being established. Vivlamore noted Antic was also charged with disorderly conduct and menacing, while Sefolosha was also charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
Vivlamore added the following details from the police report:
Vivlamore also reported that Antic and Sefolosha are due back in court on June 16 and that the players announced they would contest the charges.
He later reported the two would not play Wednesday against the Nets.
Zwerling provided more information on why Antic and Sefolosha acted the way they did:
This prompted a response from Hawks Vice President of Public Relations Garin Narain, per Vivlamore: "We are aware of the situation involving Pero Antic and Thabo Sefolosha this morning. We are in the process of gathering more information and will have further comment at the appropriate time."
The Pacers are in town to play the New York Knicks, Copeland's former team, on Wednesday night. The Hawks earned a home victory over the Phoenix Suns hours earlier—Antic and Sefolosha both played—and had just arrived in town to face the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday. Unsurprisingly, Copeland was ruled out of the contest, as noted by the Pacers.
Charges against Bleary are reportedly pending for his role in the attack. It began just as the club was shutting down. No mention is made of whether Copeland was there with the Hawks players, or whether they were part of different groups exiting the area when the argument began.
