Cleveland Cavaliers swingman J.R. Smith has been accused of choking a 19-year-old outside a restaurant in New York earlier this month.
According to a report from the New York Daily News, high school student Justin Brown claims he was with some friends who were giving Smith a hard time after the NBA star refused to pose for a photo with them. Smith is reportedly shown on a cell phone video walking away from the group after Brown taunted him.
“That’s why New York kicked you out, yo!” Brown allegedly said.
Brown told police that he exchanged words with Smith before Smith allegedly pushed him up against a building and grabbed him by the throat area. Police were on the scene when the alleged incident took place, but a report was filed three days later. A source told the Daily News that Brown was told by police that the initial report was “lost.”
Smith’s lawyer Alex Spiro said the accusations against Smith are “completely false.” Spiro is the same attorney who represented Thabo Sefolosha, who was recently acquitted of charges he faced for an incident outside a New York City nightclub. Sefolosha suffered a broken leg while he was being arrested after it appeared an officer struck him in the lower body. You can see a video of the struggle here.
Artichoke Basille’s Pizza, the restaurant where the alleged incident with Smith took place, is located on the same street as 1OAK nightclub, which is a popular celebrity hangout. It is unclear if Smith was at the club before his alleged altercation with Brown.
