Sheriff’s deputy says he shoved Ujiri to prevent ‘risk’ of crime
Officer claims he blocked team president to prevent possible ‘mass murder’
In a new court filing, the sheriff’s deputy in California who had an altercation with Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri in an NBA arena last year says he was justified in shoving Ujiri because the altercation happened at a high-profile sporting event where there was a “risk” of crimes such as the 1993 stabbing of tennis star Monica Seles or the terrorist killing of Israeli athletes during the 1972 Munich Olympics.
In seeking to have a counterclaim by Ujiri against Alameda County sheriff’s deputy Alan
Strickland tossed out, Strickland’s lawyers state in a new court motion that after an attempt at “gentle physical guidance” by Strickland, Ujiri twice tried to “barge past” the officer and a private security official — the first time allegedly “swatting” Strickland’s hand away.
The incident happened at the end of last year’s NBA Finals in June when the Raptors captured a championship title over the Golden State Warriors. Ujiri was attempting to get on the basketball court in Oakland when he was stopped by Strickland. Body cam video in the lawsuit shows the officer shoving him hard twice, and Ujiri shoving the officer back afterward. The officer shouts “back the f--- up” after the first shove.
Strickland launched a lawsuit against Ujiri after the run-in. Strickland claims in his lawsuit that he suffered physical and emotional injuries. He is seeking $75,000 (U.S.) in damages.
The Raptors have said that a video released with Ujiri’s countersuit proves Ujiri wasn’t the aggressor in the dispute.
Neither side’s claims have yet been proven in court.
In his filings, Strickland claims Ujiri lacked the security credentials to get on the court after the game to enjoy the trophy celebrations with his players.
The police officer says in the documents that he tried to slow Ujiri down for a security check.
Ujiri tried to pass “without permitting inspection of even the invalid security credential he did possess,” Strickland’s filings allege.
Strickland claims he tried to “redirect Mr. Ujiri, by gently grabbing his (Ujiri’s) right elbow with his left hand fingertips.”
To prevent the “security breach” Strickland “had to” shove Ujiri in the chest, the documents say.
The documents claim that neither open-handed shove to Ujiri’s chest caused any injury to Ujiri, but that Ujiri “decided to assault deputy Strickland anyway.”
The new filings claim Ujiri “actively resisted” efforts to investigate his right to get on the court. The incident, the filings say, happened at a high-profile sporting event, and had Strickland not employed force he would have risked the “suspect” (Ujiri) trespassing on the court, quickly getting lost in the crowd on the court during an event that entailed risks of crimes ranging from a stabbing like that of Seles, mass murder, or an attack akin to the slayings of athletes at the Munich Games.
The new court motion was filed Monday to the United States District Court, northern district of California. A Zoom hearing before a judge to hear the motion is scheduled for Nov. 17.