Hawks' Sefolosha found not guilty after incident with NYPD in April

Atlanta Hawks swingman Thabo Sefolosha was found not guilty Friday on all three charges stemming from an April altercation with NYPD officers.

Sefolosha had been charged with obstructing governmental administration, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct after a police report claimed he and former teammate Pero Antic refused to clear the area while officers were trying to establish a crime scene following the stabbing of Indiana Pacers forward Chris Copeland outside of New York's 1OAK nightclub.

Sefolosha said he was trying to give a beggar money when officers grabbed him.

Sefolosha suffered a broken right fibula and ligament damage in the altercation, which ended his campaign just before the top-seeded Hawks were set to open the postseason.

''They arrested him,'' Sefolosha's attorney, Alex Spiro, said in his closing argument. ''They broke his leg out of eyeshot or earshot of an unrelated crime scene.''

Before the confrontation turned physical, the 6-foot-6 Sefolosha said he challenged the tone of a particularly aggressive officer who was ushering him, Antic and others. He said he called the 5-foot-7 officer ''a midget.'' Charges against Antic later were dropped.

But prosecutors presented a different theory, arguing Sefolosha, a Swiss citizen, acted entitled as he slowly departed 1Oak. They said he eventually locked his arms in front of him to make it more difficult for arresting officers to put on handcuffs.

''The police don't get to tell the defendant how to play basketball,'' an assistant district attorney, Francesca Bartolomey, said in her summation. ''The defendant doesn't get to say where the crime scene ends.''

Spiro, the defense lawyer, has suggested Sefolosha, who is black, was targeted because of his race. He pointed to surveillance video showing the white officer passing Antic, who also is white, and others as he demanded Sefolosha to move up the block.

Sefolosha had surgery on his leg and isn't fully healed. He said he continues to undergo rehab and isn't sure he'll be ready to play when the NBA season starts Oct. 27.

"This morning's verdict ended a long and emotional period for me. Justice was served and for that I am eternally grateful to the judge and jury for their quick and deliberate decision," Sefolosha said in a statement, thanking Spiro, the Hawks organization, and head coach Mike Budenholzer for their support.

Budenholzer, who actually testified to Sefolosha's character during the trial, also released a statement after Sefolosha was found not guilty.

"Thabo is a man of great character and we are proud that he took a principled approach to proving his innocence," the reigning Coach of the Year said. "We are extremely happy for him and his family, and we are very pleased with today's verdict in his favor."

- With files from theScore