The altercation between Raptors president Masai Ujiri and an Alameda County Sheriff’s deputy during the NBA finals last week shows no sign of going away quietly.
Speaking to the Toronto Sun Tuesday, Sgt. Ray Kelly, sheriff’s office spokesman, said arena security footage and police body camera video back up the deputy’s version of events, claiming he was the victim of an unprovoked assault shortly after the game’s conclusion.
“The sheriff believes the deputy acted appropriately, and was doing his job when he was assaulted by Mr. Ujiri,” said Kelly, explaining that Sheriff Greg Ahern recommended the district attorney pursue misdemeanor battery of a police officer charges against Ujiri.
The confrontation began courtside at the Oracle Arena in Oakland shortly after the conclusion of Game 6 of the Raptors championship series against the Golden State Warriors.
The deputy, who claims he was shoved and struck in the jaw after stopping Ujiri to check his credentials, has hired Sacramento-based, civil-rights lawyer David Mastagni to look into filing claims against Ujiri, the Toronto Raptors and the NBA.
While requests for an interview with Mastagni’s law firm went unanswered, he told San Francisco’s KPIX 5 the deputy — a 20-year veteran of the force whose name hasn’t been released — suffered a serious jaw injury and concussion and requires time off to recover.
Mastagni also said his client disputes allegations the encounter was racially motivated, saying the deputy has black family members.
Video outside the Raptors dressing room shows Ujiri clutching a lanyard of credentials in his right hand as he embraces team travel director Kevin DiPietro before heading towards the court.
While social media video doesn’t depict the assault, it shows enraged police officers held at bay while Kyle Lowry pulls Ujiri onto the court.
As for when charges might be laid, Kelly said investigators are continuing to build their case.
“We’ve spent a tremendous amount of time recovering video — some of it very high definition — as we want to make sure it captured the entire incident,” he said, adding investigators have also interviewed many eyewitnesses.
None of this footage has been released as it’s considered evidence in an active investigation, Kelly said — citing concerns for maintaining impartial and unbiased witness testimony.
“There’s a tremendous public interest in the video, we understand that, but the integrity of the investigation is more important,” he explained.
“We’d love nothing more than to release the video, but we have to follow proper investigative and judicial protocol.
The Toronto Raptors declined comment on the matter, referring instead to a previous statement saying they’re cooperating with authorities and look forward to a resolution.
Copyright Postmedia Network Inc., 2019
