Atlanta Hawks guard-forward Thabo Sefolosha testified Wednesday that he was trying to give money to a homeless guy after exchanging words with a police officer when he was kicked in the leg and taken to the ground by the police.
According to The Nation, Sefolosha, whose right leg was fractured in the struggle, said he was following police orders to exit a Manhattan nightclub called 1 Oak last April after Chris Copeland was stabbed.
Sefolosha believes he was singled out by an NYPD officer looking for trouble.
“I said: ‘If you saw me in a different place, you wouldn’t say that. You’re a midget,'” Sefolosha said of the officer, JohnPaul Giacona, who is 5 feet 7 inches tall.
Video from the incident shows multiple officers, including at least one with a baton in hand, surrounding Sefolosha and taking him to the ground before placing him in handcuffs and hauling him away.
That officer with the baton reportedly broke Sefolosha’s leg with his initial swing.
Sefolosha — after choosing to not let it go — was charged with misdemeanor obstructing government administration, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
Prosecutors say Sefolosha, his then-teammate Pero Antic and two other women repeatedly ignored orders to move away from the crime scene and off the block.