Pacers' Copeland, wife stabbed outside NYC club
Authorities say Indiana Pacers forward Chris Copeland, his wife and another woman were stabbed outside a Manhattan nightclub after an argument early Wednesday morning.
Copeland was stabbed in the abdomen, and his wife was slashed in the arm and across the breast and backside, according to police.
They were in stable condition at Bellevue Hospital, sources told the New York Daily News.
The Pacers are in New York to play the Knicks on Wednesday night.
“We are aware that Chris Copeland was injured early this morning in New York City,” Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird said in a statement. “We are still gathering information and will update when we know more. Our thoughts are with Chris and those injured.”
The NYPD said the incident occurred just before 4 a.m. outside the 1Oak Club on West 17th Street. The second woman stabbed was taken to Lenox Hill Hospital.
The incident stemmed from an argument at the club as Copeland and others, including the suspected attacker, 22-year-old Shezoy Bleary, were leaving. Police say Copeland and his wife were arguing on the street when a group interfered. Police say the argument escalated until one man pulled out a knife.
Bleary was arrested, and charges against him are pending. The weapon was recovered.
Atlanta Hawks players Thabo Sefolosha and Pero Antic also were at the scene and arrested and charged after refusing to move when police tried to establish a crime scene, sources told the Daily News. Hours earlier, the Hawks had beaten the Suns in Atlanta, 96-69. They play the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday.
“We are aware of the situation involving Pero Antic and Thabo Sefolosha this morning,” Hawks spokesperson Garin Narain said in a statement. “We are in the process of gathering more information and will have further comment at the appropriate time.”
Copeland, a 6-foot-8 forward from New Jersey, played in 56 games with the Knicks during the 2012-13 season, his rookie year. He signed with the Pacers in 2013 as a restricted free agent and is in the second year of a two-year deal.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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