A brand new video has emerged of an altercation between Alameda County sheriff’s deputy Alan Strickland and Toronto Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri, which reveals the officer to be the aggressor in an incident that occurred straight after Sport 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals.
Ujiri made his manner in the direction of the court docket to affix the Raptors for the customary on-court championship celebration, the place his staff would obtain the Larry O’Brien Trophy, whereas Kawhi Leonard acquired his award for profitable NBA Finals MVP.
KTVU FOX 2, based mostly out of the Bay Space, obtained new video footage, which reveals Strickland to be the preliminary aggressor within the altercation.
Ujiri’s authorized staff additionally launched video of the physique digicam footage, as obtained by Diamond Leung of The Athletic.
Masai Ujiri’s authorized staff has launched physique digicam footage of his encounter with a safety employee at Oracle Area after the Raptors received the NBA championship. pic.twitter.com/56XWMpZy0P
— Diamond Leung (@diamond83) August 19, 2020
Attorneys representing Ujiri acknowledged Strickland was “undeniably the initial aggressor,” in response to KTVU.
Within the video, Ujiri makes his well past a number of followers, a safety guard and different credentialed members on his method to the Oracle Area ground. Strickland sees Ujiri coming, factors at him, and as Ujiri holds out his credential, the sheriff’s deputy shoves the Raptors’ president.
After the primary shove, Strickland and Ujiri exchanged phrases, earlier than the latter held out his credential as soon as once more, in an try and entry the ground. This time, Strickland pushes Ujiri again with extra drive, and Ujiri shoved Strickland again.
Strickland, who needed to be restrained by bystanders and different credentialed members, tries to get different safety personnel concerned, earlier than Ujiri is ushered onto the court docket with out additional incident.
No prison costs had been ever filed in opposition to Ujiri, with prosecutors dismissing the likelihood in October 2019.
Strickland hasn’t returned to work since getting concerned within the altercation with Ujiri and filed a lawsuit in opposition to the Raptors’ president in a Northern California district court docket, claiming that he incurred accidents that “caused and continue to cause great mental, physical, emotional and psychological pain and suffering” in consequence.
Ujiri referred to as the lawsuit ‘malicious’ and the Raptors vehemently refuted Strickland’s account of the incident.
The Raptors additionally launched the next assertion:
Raptors spokesperson on launch of video footage involving staff president Masai Ujiri and a Bay Space police officer in moments after finish of 2019 NBA Finals: pic.twitter.com/sPq6y1tbw5
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 19, 2020
Extra Raptors protection from Yahoo Sports activities