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Exclusive new video obtained by TMZ Sports shows the moment Atlanta Hawks forward Thabo Sefolosha was brutally taken down by the NYPD the night Indiana Pacers player Chris Copeland and fiancee Katrine Saltara were stabbed. In the video, cops can be seen placing Sefolosha into a headlock and wrestling him to the ground. One police officer appears to strike him in the leg while the NBA player was on the ground. As a result, he suffered a season-ending broken ankle.

 

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The new video appears to contradict earlier police claims that Sefolosha “charged” at cops before he was arrested with teammate Pero Antic. He could even be heard in the video telling the NYPD to “calm down.” The two were arrested for “obstruction” of “governmental administration,” meaning they allegedly prevented cops from marking the area between Fulton House projects and the 1Oak nightclub as a crime scene after the stabbing.

Antic and Sefolosha did not mingle with Copeland and Saltara, but were also seen at the club and were near the entrance as investigations began.

The stabbing occurred around 4 o’clock Wednesday morning in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood. As HelloBeautiful previously reported, Copeland and Saltara were allegedly stabbed by Shevoy Bleary-Murdock after leaving nearby 1Oak.

When the New York media waited outside Midtown Community Court well into the morning hours, Sefolosha was captured on video limping. He’s been officially sidelined for the rest of the NBA season. The Atlanta Hawks, Indiana Pacers and the NBA are all currently conducting extensive research into the matter, which will include questioning the tactics and purpose of the NYPD interacting with Sefolosha and Antic.

Reports confirm that Copeland and Saltara were taken to Manhattan’s Bellevue Hospital, and that another woman was also victimized by suspect Bleary-Murdock’s rage. He has since been arrested and charged.

We’ll keep you posted on developments.

NYPD Violently Beat Down NBA Player Thabo Sefolosha [VIDEO]  was originally published on hellobeautiful.com