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02/12/2007 -
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -Former Indiana Pacers guard Stephen Jackson testified Monday that he fired shots in the air during a fight outside a strip club last year to try to break up the brawl.
Jackson and ex-teammate Jamaal Tinsley took the witness stand during a bench trial in Marion Superior Court for a man accused of hitting Jackson with a car during the Oct. 6 fight outside Club Rio.
Jackson, who now plays for the Golden State Warriors, testified that when he was walking from the club to his car, a man approached him shouting, ``Go ahead and dump, dump!''
``Where I'm from, 'dump' means pull out your gun and shoot,'' he said.
He fired a couple of shots in the air to break up the brawl that ensued, he said.
``It was like an all-out brawl,'' he said. ``I started seeing more and more faces I didn't know.''
The man accused of hitting Jackson with his car, Deon Willford, 23, waived his right to a jury trial and will instead have Judge Patricia Gifford render a verdict.
One of his attorneys, Jeffrey Mendez, told Gifford that Willford and his cousin were afraid after the shots were fired and that Willford then hit Jackson with the car.
``Mr. Willford, in fear of his life, in fear of his cousin's life, does what the average reasonable person would have done,'' Mendez said.
Jackson has pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of criminal recklessness and misdemeanor counts of battery and disorderly conduct. His trial is set for April 12.
Both Jackson and Willford have rejected deals that would have required them to plead guilty to the most serious charges. Willford faces felony counts of criminal recklessness and leaving the scene of a personal injury accident and a misdemeanor count of driving without a license.
Jackson was booked into jail Oct. 12 and has been free since on $10,000 bond. The criminal recklessness charge carries a prison term of six months to three years.
Authorities say Jackson got the gun from his car and fired it in the air before Willford ran into him with a car. Tinsley, teammate Marquis Daniels and former Pacer Jimmie Hunter were with Jackson at the club but not charged.
Jackson's attorney, James Voyles, has characterized the incident as a fight and said Jackson acted in self-defense. Jackson had stitches in his lip and other scrapes and bruises after the incident.
The incident occurred as Jackson was on probation for his role in a brawl between Indiana Pacers players and Detroit Pistons fans in 2004. Jackson pleaded no contest to misdemeanor assault and battery charges in September 2005 for his role in the 2004 brawl.
A Michigan judge ruled that the Indiana charges constituted a violation of Jackson's probation. Jackson, who was traded to Golden State earlier this year, faces up to 30 days in jail on the probation violation.
Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< Longest NBA Losing Streaks, Season
The longest losing streaks in one season in NBA history:23 - Denver Nuggets, Dec. 9, 1997-Jan. 23, 1998.23 - Vancouver Grizzlies, Feb. 16, 1996-April 3, 1996.20 - Dallas Mavericks, Nov. 13-Dec. 22, 1993.20 - Philadelphia 76ers, Jan. 9-Feb. 11, 1973.
<< Thrashers-Oilers, Sums
Atlanta 1 0 0-1Edmonton 1 3 1-5First Period-1, Atlanta, Belanger 9, 5:15. 2, Edmonton, Smyth 28 (Horcoff, Sykora), 9:40 (pp). Penalties-McCarthy, Atl (hooking), 9:16; Stortini, Edm (roughing), 9:54; Larsen, Atl (interference), 12:37; Kovalchuk, Atl
<< Stuart comes home in trade
DETROIT (AP) -Brad Stuart isn't even thinking about heading back to his home province.The veteran of nine NHL seasons and a native of Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, played his first game with the Calgary Flames on Sunday night. The team acquired him
<< Flames-Red Wings, Sums
Calgary 0 1 3-4Detroit 3 3 1-7First Period-1, Detroit, Zetterberg 25 (Williams, Cleary), 8:43. 2, Detroit, Datsyuk 17 (Holmstrom, Zetterberg), 12:44. 3, Detroit, Schneider 8 (Lilja, Hudler), 13:54. Penalties-Yelle, Cal (elbowing), 3:03;Lang, Det (ho
Capitals re-sign enforcer Brashear >>
WASHINGTON (AP) -Enforcer Donald Brashear signed a one-year, $1.1 million contract extension with the Washington Capitals on Monday.The 35-year-old left wing joined the Capitals as a free agent last summer, adding toughness to team that is rebuildin
Forsberg noncommittal about his future with the Flyers >>
VOORHEES, N.J. (AP) -All Peter Forsberg has to do is tell the Philadelphia Flyers that he wants to re-sign with them or ask to be dealt to a contender before the Feb. 27 trade deadline.So far, at least publicly, Forsberg has kept that decision to hi
Capitals G Kolzig out 3 weeks >>
WASHINGTON (AP) -Washington Capitals goaltender Olie Kolzig hurt his knee Monday and will miss at least three weeks.The veteran goaltender was injured during a drill at practice, a major blow to the Capitals' slim hopes of making a run at the playof
Wolves' Foye cited for fighting >>
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -Minnesota Timberwolves rookie Randy Foye was cited early Monday for disorderly conduct after police found him in a fight outside a gas station.Foye and two others were released after receiving citations, Lt. Amelia Huffman said. A
BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.
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