Friday, October 06, 2006

More Pacer Disgrace

So much for the Pacers' public relations effort to convince the public they have reinvented a new and improved team. We awake to news this morning that four Pacers were involved in an overnight shooting incident at Club Rio. At least one Pacer player, Stephen Jackson, fired shots at another patron of the club after the patron allegedly struck him in the jaw and then hit him with his car after the dispute spilled over into the club's parking lot. Jamaal Tinsley, Marquis Daniels and Jimmie Hunter were also reported to be at the club. Jackson, Tinsley and Daniels were all carrying concealed weapons, which Indiana law permits with the proper permits. The Star reports:

Police questioned four members of the Pacers this morning following gunfire outside a Northwestside strip club.

Officers were called to Club Rio at about 3 a.m., according to WTHR-TV (Channel 13), the Star’s newsgathering partner.

The incident reportedly began with an altercation inside the bar. The players left, but Stephen Jackson told officers he was slugged in the jaw when he went outside. Jackson said he was then hit by a car and fired his 9 mm pistol in self-defense. Also at the scene were Jamaal Tinsley and Marquis Daniels, who police said also had pistols in their cars. All three of the players had permits for the weapons. Pacer Jimmie Hunter was also there.

It was thought that no one was hit by the gunfire, and there were no immediate arrests. The three players were allowed to go home, but police remained on the scene hours later.

WTHR-TV is reporting that Stephen Jackson was limping at the scene of the incident, but he refused an offer of medical treatment after an ambulance arrived. Also, police found marijuana in a car owned by Tinsley. The report did not name the player. The Pacers' Donnie Walsh, Larry Bird and Rick Carlisle might as well toss the television ad they've been running for the past few weeks boasting about this new team and go back to the drawing board. Looks like more of the same bad stuff, although no arrests have been reported yet.

UPDATE: IPD is saying the Pacer players will receive no special treatment, but that is debatable. Police found a small amount of marijuana in Tinsley's car. The police say no arrest was made because there were several people in the car. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the owner deemed to have constructive possession of an illegal drug when it is found in his car? Sure, it's a defense that the marijuana actually belonged to someone else, but I specifically handled a case like this when I volunteered as a Marion Co. deputy prosecutor quite a few years ago. The owner of the vehicle was charged with possession of the drug, as well as an unregistered gun he had in the car with him. I obtained a conviction against him on both counts, even though he testified that neither belonged to him. If the police followed their basic procedures, Tinsley would have already been charged with illegal possession. Also, the Star reported that Daniels had a Florida gun permit. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe he needs an Indiana gun carrying permit to have a gun on his person in Indiana.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

If we need any more evidence that gun crimes are out of control in this city, and hell, frankly, everywhere, look no further than this. I hadn't heard the pot charge, but hell, it wouldn't surprise me. The NBA isn't really serious about stopping this or they'd test twice a week.

Young men are given these athletes as role models, and what happens?

They're in a strip club at 3 a.m.

They all have guns. (With permits, but still...) Why do they need guns? And why are they carrying them in their cars? What if those very fancy cars had been burglarized or stolen? Those guns would've wound up as cop assault weapons.

When confronted in the strip club, probably about their ostentacious displays of wealth, according to one report, what do they do? Mouth off, and "take it outside."

Someone tries to run over Jackson with his car as an escalation of the inside dispute, and what does Jackson do? Pull a gun and fire four or five times in rapid succession.

This ridiculous machismo episode is a prime example of how things get out of hand. Words exchanged. Fists fly, take it outside, more words, violence.

There's no interim step in the eyes of these "role models." They jump straight from argument to guns.

Street justice. It's got to stop.

Jackson was always a talented but mouthy athlete. He jumped into the stands in Detroit wehen nothing was said to him...

Damn. It's a good thing they weren't packin in Detroit. We might be minus a few NBA players and fans.

Young people today emulate these athletes. Not a lick of common sense was displayed, from the patronizing of a strip club at 3 a.m. to packin' heat.

I've gone to my last Pacer game until this gets under control. I'm not rewarding this ridiculous street justice thuggish attitude with my dollars. I doubt they'll miss me.

There's no shortage of people to idolize these malcontents.

I gotta move along now...and get outta the way of the people who will no doubt bring race into this issue...

Anonymous said...

The IndyStar updates get more and more disgusting, AI.

And by the way, unlike any breaking story I've ever seen on their website, they're updating facts as they come in, and time-stamping them.

Maybe they learned something from the Julia/Eric file-drop wife-beater thing.

Each post, in succession, stays on the web...and it helps to read the timeline. Very smart on their part.

Anonymous said...

Gary - Indiana recognizes any state's concealed carry permit.

A number of states recognize Indiana's permit but it's not quite 1-to-1 reciprocity.

Gary R. Welsh said...

Thanks for clarifying that Sir Hailstone.

Anonymous said...

Validity of permits, while interesting, is the least of the Pacers' problems.

Although, I have to ask why all four feel the need to pack heat.

Anonymous said...

I have the inside skinny on Club Rio. The Pacers were setup by Shawn Humble one of the mananagers at Rio. The Pacers walk into a open trap. He used the N word he did not want them in the Club Rio. There are so many ilegal things that goes on there. The club needs to be shut down. Club Rio is a racist place. I have seen so many customers miss treated by Shawn Humble. I plan to expose Rio for the dive it is. The pacer did not have a chance when they enter Rio that night. The Pacers got a lot of press the Club Rio is the problem. Talk back at me. I have the skinny for real...................