Coach final defense witness in Sefolosha trial
NEW YORK — Atlanta Hawks guard Thabo Sefolosha has a character “of the highest order,” coach Mike Budenholzer testified Thursday.
Taking the stand as the final defense witness in Sefolosha’s trial, Budenholzer described Sefolosha as “highly intelligent” and a “hard worker.”
“Thabo is of the highest character,” Budenholzer said during brief testimony in criminal court in Manhattan .
Sefolosha was arrested outside a New York City nightclub in April. The Swiss national is charged with misdemeanor obstructing government administration, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest charges stemming from a confrontation with officers outside a trendy Manhattan nightclub early in the morning on April 8. He has pleaded not guilty.
Officers testified this week that Sefolosha and former teammate Pero Antic repeatedly disobeyed their orders to move off the block and away from a crime scene that had been established after the earlier stabbing of Chris Copeland and two women.
One of the officers said Sefolosha lunged at an officer with his arm extended but was intercepted before making contact, eventually taken to the ground and arrested.
Sefolosha has testified that he was complying with orders and moving up the block as a particularly aggressive officer screamed profanities at him.
Attorney Alex Spiro has argued that his client was singled out by the officer, who is white, because Sefolosha is black.
Sefolosha testified Thursday that he was trying to give money to a panhandler before entering an awaiting car when he was grabbed by police. He said his leg was kicked in the scuffle and he was taken to the ground, handcuffed and hauled to a police precinct. He suffered a fractured right leg, which forced him to miss the playoffs.
The case is the second one involving high-profile athletes accusing New York Police Department officers of wrongdoing this year. On Wednesday, the city agency charged with investigating police misconduct substantiated claims by former tennis star James Blake that an officer used excessive force when he took him to the ground last month after mistaking Blake for a fraud suspect.
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