Officers Unlawfully Abused Authority in Thabo Sefolosha Arrest, Says CCRB Review

Police officers involved in the April altercation that cost Atlanta Hawks forward Thabo Sefolosha the rest of the 2014-15 season reportedly acted unlawfully.

According to Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com, the Civilian Complaint Review Board—which is an independent government agency in New York that reviews police conduct—ruled that the officers “exercised unlawful abuse of authority in both threatening to use force and arresting Sefolosha, as well as discourtesy.”

It is important to note the CCRB did not determine the arresting officers used physical force unlawfully.

Police Commissioner William Bratton will determine the punishment, if there is any, although the CCRB recommended lost vacation time for each allegation for one officer and formalized training for another.

The CCRB investigation lasted 38 days.

Arnovitz offered more perspective to the findings:

The NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau is investigating the officers as well, and Sefolosha brought a civil suit against the department.

The incident occurred in April outside of a Manhattan nightclub. Sefolosha suffered ligament damage and a broken fibula, which forced him to miss the Hawks’ run to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they eventually lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

In October, a jury acquitted the forward of misdemeanor charges of obstructing government administration, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, per Arnovitz. Sefolosha said during the trial that “he was grabbed by several officers and pulled to the ground as he stopped to hand money to a panhandler.”

Sefolosha’s attorney, Alex Spiro, weighed in on Monday’s findings, per Arnovitz: “While we did not initiate the complaint against the police officers, we are pleased that CCRB found his arrest to be completely unlawful.”