Chris Copeland of the Indiana Pacers was stabbed outside a trendy New York nightclub early Wednesday, and two Atlanta Hawks — who had just finished a home game hours before the incident — were among those arrested, according to police and CNN affiliates.
The incident occurred just before 4 a.m. at 1 OAK, a club in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood known to draw celebrities among its clientele, New York Police Department Detective Kelly Ort told CNN.
Following a dispute, a male and two females were stabbed and taken to area hospitals, Ort said. A knife was recovered, a suspect was arrested and two individuals not involved in the dispute — the Hawks’ Pero Antic, 32, and Thabo Sefolosha, 30 — were arrested on charges of obstructing governmental administration and disorderly conduct, she said.
Sefolosha faces an additional charge of resisting arrest, Ort said. Charges against the suspect in the stabbing are pending, and his name will be released once charges are filed, she said.
Copeland was district player of the year at Hermitage High School in Henrico. He also played for the New York Nicks before joining the Indiana Pacers.
Police released little information Wednesday morning, but local media identified the injured man as Copeland, 31, who is from Orange, New Jersey.
The Pacers released a statement saying Copeland suffered a knife wound to his left elbow and abdomen, and he’s in stable condition at a New York hospital.
“We are aware that Chris Copeland was injured early this morning in New York City. We are still gathering information and will update when we know more. Our thoughts are with Chris and those injured,” Larry Bird, the Pacers’ president of basketball operations, said in a statement.
Copeland’s agent, John Spencer, issued a statement on his client and one of the women involved in the attack, saying, “We’re concerned about the safety of Chris and Katrine (Saltara). We don’t have any details at this particular time. All we can do is pray and wait.”
The NBA and the Hawks front office said they were looking into the incident.
“We are aware of the situation involving Pero Antic and Thabo Sefolosha this morning. We are in the process of gathering more information and will have further comment at the appropriate time,” Hawks spokesman Garin Narain said in an email.
Copeland’s Pacers are slated to play the New York Knicks on Wednesday night, while Antic and Sefolosha are in New York to play the Brooklyn Nets.
The pair apparently had only recently arrived in New York prior to their arrests, as both were on the court for the Hawks’ 96-69 win over the Phoenix Suns in Atlanta on Tuesday night. Antic played 12 minutes, and Sefolosha played 20. The game ended around 10 p.m.
Copeland, a former Knick, was outside the nightclub with Saltara when a 22-year-old Brooklyn man approached them, police told CNN affiliate WABC.
There was some sort of dispute before the suspect stabbed the 6-foot-8-inch Copeland in the abdomen, slashed Saltara and then slashed another woman, the station reported.
Saltara suffered cuts to her arm, breast and buttock, and the other woman suffered a slash to her stomach, CNN affiliate WCBS reported. While WCBS reported that the second woman was 53 years old, WABC reported she was 23.
Images published in the New York Daily News showed a considerable amount of blood on the sidewalk and a white sports coupe, roped off with police tape, with several streaks of blood on its driver’s side.
The incident occurred as the nightclub was closing, WCBS said.
Antic and Sefolosha interfered with officers trying to establish a crime scene, and one of the Hawks pushed a police officer, WABC reported.
The Hawks are preparing for a historic playoff run after clinching the No. 1 seed in the NBA’s Eastern Conference. Tuesday’s win over the Suns marked a franchise-best 58 wins in a season for the club. The Pacers sit in the conference’s 10th spot but are only one game out of playoff contention.
