Lance Stephenson Arrested for Pushing Girlfriend Down the Stairs, Say Police
By Jared Wade
The Pacers have officially ended their streak of days without a player appearing in the police blotter, and this alleged offense is among the worst a man could ever be arrested for.
"Coney Island basketball star Lance Stephenson – a second-round Indiana Pacers pick in the June NBA draft – was busted Sunday for pushing his girlfriend down a flight of stairs, cops said.Stephenson, 19, a legendary player at Brooklyn’s Abraham Lincoln High School, roughed up Jasmine Williams, 21, in the stairwell of her Brooklyn apartment building about 5 a.m., according to police.The 6-foot-5 rookie point guard’s blows sent Williams tumbling head-first down 10 steps, requiring her to be treated at a hospital for injuries to her head and neck, cops said."
Between the Darren Collison acquisition and Danny Granger presumably cementing his spot for a trip to Turkey, this had seemed like one of the best week’s for the Pacers in recent memory.
This certainly puts a damper on that — particularly since it’s Lance’s second run-in with the cops regarding assaulting a woman, with the first being a sexual assault charge that occurred back when he was a 17-year-old star at Brooklyn’s Lincoln High School.
UPDATE: WTHR.com has a story up on it as well and it includes a little more info on the exact criminal charges against Lance (two felonies and a misdemeanor). (via Pacers Digest)
"Police in New York City confirm to Eyewitness News that Lance Stephenson, 19, was arrested in Brooklyn just after 5:30 a.m. Sunday. Police had been called to an altercation at an apartment building on Avenue Z and arrived to find the player had gotten into a fight with his girlfriend in a stairwell.Investigators at the scene found Stephenson was in a fight with 21-year-old Jasmine Williams and banged her head against a wall, then shoved her down a flight of stairs.Williams was transported to a local hospital for head and neck injuries. Police say she fell down 10 stairs."
The team has issued the following statement from team president Larry Bird.
"“We have been made aware of a situation involving Lance Stephenson early Sunday morning in Brooklyn,” Pacers president said in a statement released by the team. “We are currently in the process of gathering information and will have further comments as we learn more facts.”"
Stay tuned. There will certainly be more.