ducks
04-22-2005, 10:12 PM
Pacers get Aug. 1 trial date
April 22, 2005
ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. (AP) -- The trials for the five Indiana players involved in the November brawl at the Pacers-Pistons game will begin Aug. 1, starting with Ron Artest.
Teammates Anthony Johnson, David Harrison, Jermaine O'Neal and Stephen Jackson are to follow in that order. The players earlier were granted requests for separate trials on misdemeanor assault and battery charges.
Nine defendants charged in the melee at The Palace of Auburn Hills appeared in court Friday, and Judge Lisa Asadoorian scheduled seven separate trials this summer.
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She granted a request by William Paulson and John Ackerman, two fans involved in the mayhem, to be tried first, on July 11. John Green, the fan who prosecutors say sparked the brawl by lobbing a drink that struck Artest, is to be tried along with David Wallace, brother of Pistons center Ben Wallace, on July 15.
The Nov. 19 brawl started after Ben Wallace shoved Artest following a hard foul. After they were separated, Artest was doused with the beverage, rushed into the stands and began beating a man he thought had thrown the drink. Some teammates joined him in the stands and clashed with fans on the court.
A fan charged with throwing a chair pleaded no contest last month and is expected to be sentenced next month. Three other fans were sentenced to probation for walking on a court or throwing objects.
April 22, 2005
ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. (AP) -- The trials for the five Indiana players involved in the November brawl at the Pacers-Pistons game will begin Aug. 1, starting with Ron Artest.
Teammates Anthony Johnson, David Harrison, Jermaine O'Neal and Stephen Jackson are to follow in that order. The players earlier were granted requests for separate trials on misdemeanor assault and battery charges.
Nine defendants charged in the melee at The Palace of Auburn Hills appeared in court Friday, and Judge Lisa Asadoorian scheduled seven separate trials this summer.
ADVERTISEMENT
click here
She granted a request by William Paulson and John Ackerman, two fans involved in the mayhem, to be tried first, on July 11. John Green, the fan who prosecutors say sparked the brawl by lobbing a drink that struck Artest, is to be tried along with David Wallace, brother of Pistons center Ben Wallace, on July 15.
The Nov. 19 brawl started after Ben Wallace shoved Artest following a hard foul. After they were separated, Artest was doused with the beverage, rushed into the stands and began beating a man he thought had thrown the drink. Some teammates joined him in the stands and clashed with fans on the court.
A fan charged with throwing a chair pleaded no contest last month and is expected to be sentenced next month. Three other fans were sentenced to probation for walking on a court or throwing objects.