NCAA Basketball Coach Threw Fatal Punch at Tourist - Police Report
Wake Forest University assistant basketball coach Jamill Jones was arrested Thursday night in New York City for allegedly punching a man in the face — a man who later died in the hospital.
The incident happened Sunday at about 1:15 a.m. in Long Island City, which is part of Queens.
We've just received photos of Wake Forest assistant men's basketball coach Jamill Jones in court. He's been released on his own recognizance and will have to return to court Oct. 2. pic.twitter.com/XqI8mEXZMW
— Patrick Wright (@ptwright) August 10, 2018
A 35-year-old tourist from Florida, Sabor Szabo, was in the city attending his step-sister’s wedding, according to the New York Post. He had left his brother’s hotel room and was looking for either a cab or an Uber ride that he had ordered — reports conflict as to which it was. The Post reported that he knocked on the windows of multiple cars on the street.
Several news outlets, including CBS News, reported that Szabo knocked on the window of Jones’ SUV.
“Szabo, visiting from Boca Raton, Florida, banged on the window of Jones’ SUV while looking for his ride after his step-sister’s wedding, police said. The coach got out, followed Szabo to the sidewalk, clocked him and sped off, police said,” CBS News reported.
Szabo went down and hit his head on the pavement, then lost consciousness, reported ESPN. He was brought to a local hospital where he was treated for fractures to his face and skull, along with bleeding of the brain.
Wake Forest basketball coach Jamill Jones arrested for deadly attack in Queens Sunday on Florida tourist Sabor Szabo (pictured) https://t.co/UVtVKmTPlK pic.twitter.com/jJjtUTpSb5
— 1010 WINS (@1010WINS) August 9, 2018
He died Tuesday when he was taken off life support.
Jones turned himself into police Thursday afternoon and was charged with third-degree assault, a misdemeanor. He was arraigned Thursday night at Queens County Criminal Court and was released on his own recognizance with orders to appear in court on Oct. 2, ESPN reported.
Intriguing statement by Jamill Jones lawyer:
“I can tell you the reason why the charge is what it is now — the reason why it’s the appropriate charge — is because the District Attorney’s Office and I obtained information that the public does not have,” https://t.co/SYstX5Vhmn— Brian Heiss (@BrianHeiss) August 10, 2018
Jones, who was hired as an assistant by Wake Forest head coach Danny Manning in May 2017, pleaded not guilty to the charges, The Associated Press reported.
“It’s an unfortunate and tragic incident,” Jones’ attorney, Alain Massena, told ESPN. “Mr. Jones and his family, their deepest condolences go out to the Szabo family. We simply hope that the public gives Mr. Jones an opportunity to litigate this matter in the court and not in the press.”
Szabo was a digital marketing professional who worked for What If Media Group in Boca Raton, Florida.
“He was always upbeat, positive, kind and caring,” the company wrote of Szabo in a Facebook post. “He was fun to be with, interesting, and always interested. He was a really good person. … His beautiful spirit and his love of life will remain with us. We are going to miss him dearly.”
Before Jones joined Manning’s staff at Wake Forest, he was an assistant under Johnny Dawkins at the University of Central Florida. He’s also been an assistant at Virginia Commonwealth University and Florida Golf Coast University.
“We have just been made aware of this matter and we are gathering information,” a Wake Forest spokesman told ESPN. “We will make a further statement after we learn more about the matter.”
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