NYPD: No charges for ex-Knicks guard J.R. Smith in alleged fracas in Chelsea
J.R. Smith of the Cleveland Cavaliers shoots against Shaun Livingston of the Golden State Warriors in the second quarter during Game 4 of the 2015 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena on June 11, 2015 in Cleveland. Credit: Getty Images / Jason Miller
Police said they have not arrested or charged former Knicks guard J.R. Smith after a man accused the basketball player of choking him during an altercation in Chelsea on Nov. 13.
An NYPD spokeswoman said Saturday that police did not see any visible bruising when the man made the report, and because of the lack of evidence, filed it as a harassment incident, with no charges or arrests.
The spokeswoman said the man, 19, and friends saw Smith outside Artichoke Basille's Pizza at West 17th Street and 10th Avenue at about 4 a.m. and asked for a picture.
According to the police report, Smith declined and the man called out, "That's why you got kicked out of New York," a reference to the midseason trade in January that sent Smith from the Knicks to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The man, who was later identified by the New York Daily News as Harlem resident Justin Brown, told police that Smith then attacked him and put his hands around Brown's neck.
"The allegation is completely false," Smith's lawyer, Alex Spiro, wrote in an email to Newsday on Saturday.
Brown's lawyer did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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