Former Knicks Player Charles Oakley Arrested After Altercation at Madison Square Garden

Joe Faraoni/ESPN Images(NEW YORK) — Former New York Knicks forward Charles Oakley was removed from Madison Square Garden Wednesday night and arrested after he became “completely abusive” to arena staff while attending a game, according to the NBA team.

“Charles Oakley came to the game tonight and behaved in a highly inappropriate and completely abusive manner,” the Knicks wrote in a statement on Twitter. “He has been ejected and is currently being arrested by the New York City Police Department. He was a great Knick and we hope he gets some help soon.”

A police source told ABC News that the incident began when Oakley, 53, started yelling at Knicks owner James Dolan, who was seated in front of him. Dolan eventually asked security to escort Oakley from the venue. The retired player refused to leave without incident, and proceeded to assault a couple of arena employees, the source said.

But Oakley’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, said in a statement, “We deny the allegations and will answer them in court,”

A video posted on Twitter showed Oakley scuffling with police officers and Madison Square Garden security guards as they attempted to remove him from the arena.

In another video, Oakley is seen holding on to a railing as officials try to eject him.

The 6-foot-8 Oakley was a rugged enforcer playing alongside Patrick Ewing on the Knicks teams of the 1990s and has kept his tough-guy persona long after retirement, trading barbs with former rival Charles Barkley recently.
 
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