Thabo Sefolosha Acquitted of Misdemeanor Charges
The past few months have been a roller coaster for Atlanta Hawks forward Thabo Sefolosha following an altercation with the New York Police Department in April where he was arrested for obstruction of justice and allegedly confronting police outside of a club following the stabbing of NBA player Chris Copeland.
The NYPD alleged that Thabo Sefolosha disobeyed repeated requests to leave the area and that he was belligerent in their attempts to remove him and former Hawk Pero Antic from the area. The NYPD officer then proceeded to beat Sefolosha, breaking his tibia and fibula and leaving him without medical attention for nearly 12 hours.
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Thabo Sefolosha was lost for the rest of the regular season and the postseason, which greatly affected the Atlanta Hawks fortunes in the postseason with the loss of their best defensive player. Sefolosha was offered a plea bargain with the prosecution which would have dropped all charges and only included 1 day of community service — but Sefolosha and his legal team chose to go to trial in an effort to clear his name and reputation.
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Vindication came on Friday as a jury acquitted Thabo Sefolosha of these misdemeanor charges. Sefolosha and his legal team argued that that the arresting officers used excessive force and racially profiled Sefolosha. Pero Antic also testified during the trial, stating that both he and Sefolosha were leaving the club, and that Thabo Sefolosha was giving a $20 bill to a homeless man outside of the nightclub.
The prosecution’s story was different from the defense’s, arguing that Thabo Sefolosha was aggressive toward the law enforcement officers and resisted arrest. The jury saw it differently, as Thabo Sefolosha was able to clear his name. Sefolosha is now mulling over pressing charges against the NYPD.
Atlanta Hawks’ center Al Horford was relieved following the verdict, stating,
"“It’s big and there’s peace of mind, not only for not only us as a team but mainly for Thabo and his family…We’re just glad that everything is behind us and we can focus on the season.”"
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This ordeal has been a distraction for the team since it occurred in late April, and had an adverse effect on the team’s fortunes in the playoffs. Now that Thabo Sefolosha has been medically cleared to play and is acquitted from these charges, the team can focus on their regular season play and quest to return to the postseason.
I’m happy for Thabo Sefolosha, and hope that this verdict serves to aid and assist victims who have similar experiences. The season is right around the corner, and it’s great to have this in the rear view mirror.
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