Another video was released by TMZ late Friday showing the arrests of Hawks players Thabo Sefolosha and Pero Antic in New York
The video, which is said to be shot by bystanders, shows Sefolosha being taken to the ground and handcuffed by several police officers. One officer is shown making a striking motion with a nightstick. It is unclear whether he struck Sefolosha or was just extending the baton during the fracas.
Sefolosha suffered a broken fibula and ligament damage during the arrest in the early morning hours Wednesday outside a nightclub. He will require season-ending surgery. Sefolosha does not appear to be walking with a limp after he was handcuffed. It remains unclear when the injury occurred while he was in custody.
Antic is shown sitting on the ground unhandcuffed, not resisting, while Sefolosha is subdued.
In the video, bystanders are clearly heard saying “They did nothing wrong.” Before being taken to the ground, with officers holding each of his arms, Sefolosha is heard saying “Relax, man. Relax.”
The incident occurred outside the nightclub 1OAK at approximately 4 a.m. Wednesday. The Hawks had arrived in town that morning after playing a home game Tuesday. They played the Nets Wednesday night.
Sefolosha and Antic were charged with three misdemeanors, including obstruction governmental administration. They have a court date of June 18. The two issued a joint statement and said they would contest the charges.
Antic spoke publicly Friday and said the bad publicity the arrests caused were “not by our fault.’ He also referred to an early video released by TMZ.
“The video speaks for itself,” he said. “It is a legal matter. We have great people who are great doing their job. We are going to let them do their job. We are going to try to do our job and do what we can because we have big goals for this season.
“I will say it’s a pure example of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. People know Thabo for so many years of being in the league. Thabo is one of the greatest guys. A few of the reporters here know me. I don’t have anything (in my past) so it is just a pure example, like I said, of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
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