NEW YORK (AP) — Atlanta Hawks forward Thabo Sefolosha says he thinks about the confrontation with New York police that left him with a broken leg “almost daily” and is filing a civil suit because “they have to be held accountable and be smart about how to interact with people.”
Sefolosha still isn’t fully recovered from the injuries in April that ended his season. He sat out Thursday night against the New York Knicks after playing in Atlanta’s season opener on Tuesday.
He was acquitted earlier this month of charges stemming from the arrest outside a nightclub and says he understands police have a difficult job. He calls the lawsuit the “right move” and hopes it will lead to further discussion and changes.
Sefolosha was in New York for the trial when tennis player James Blake was taken to the ground by an NYPD officer and wrongly arrested after he was mistaken for a fraud suspect. Sefolosha says it’s “terrible that something like this happened and keeps happening.”