Police seek felony charges for Iverson
Philly man's allegations involve threat, gun
FROM WIRE REPORTS Jul 10, 2002
IVERSON
(AP)
PHILADELPHIA - Police plan to recommend that prosecutors issue a warrant today for the arrest of Allen Iverson, the star of the Philadelphia 76ers and a former star at Bethel High School in Hampton, Va.
District Attorney Lynne Abraham's office will be asked today to approve felony charges of aggravated assault and making terroristic threats while armed, Philadelphia police Lt. Michael Chitwood said last night.
"We feel there's enough evidence there now to do what we've got to do - arrest him," said Chitwood, who participated in the investigation.
Iverson, 27, could face eight felony and misdemeanor charges: aggravated and simple assault, reckless endangering of other people, conspiracy, possession of an instrument of crime, weapons violations, burglary, and criminal trespass, police said. Iverson does not have a permit to carry a weapon.
"The totality of the circumstances makes you believe this incident occurred," Police Lt. Michael Chitwood said.
If Abraham approves the charges, Iverson would be asked to turn himself in, police said.
Cathie Abookire, a spokeswoman for the district attorney's office, said last night that prosecutors have not gotten any word from police about Iverson.
"When we receive paperwork from the police department, we will review it," Abookire said.
Iverson had a gun when he forced his way inside an apartment last week and threatened two men, one of the men said yesterday.
Charles Jones, 21, met with police for more than an hour yesterday afternoon and afterward told reporters that Iverson threatened him and another man in the early morning hours of July 3.
Iverson, accompanied by another man, reportedly drove to the Cobbs Creek Court apartment complex before dawn to look for Iverson's wife, Tawanna, and cousin, Shaun Bowman, who lives there.
Neither Tawanna nor Bowman were there at the time, said Jones, who has lived in the apartment since March.
Iverson and his wife of 11 months apparently had a disagreement earlier in the evening at their $2.4 million home in the Philadelphia suburb of Gladwyne, and his wife had sought his cousin as a confidante, according to a source close to Iverson. Police said Wednesday that they wanted to talk to Tawanna Iverson, but that she had not responded to their numerous calls.
Iverson and his wife were reported to be in their home yesterday. Neither has spoken publicly since the allegation surfaced last weekend.
Jones said he was sleeping when Iverson showed up, but another man inside the apartment, who Jones identified only as Hakeem, opened the door. Iverson then "forced his way in," Jones said.
Jones declined to reveal what Iverson said or how he threatened him. Jones said Iverson had a black handgun but did not brandish it.
Johnson, the police commissioner, told KYW-AM in Philadelphia that Iverson allegedly had the gun inside his waistband. But Johnson noted, "A bulge could be anything."
Jones insisted he saw a gun. "I'm positive it was," he said.
Jones said he fled the apartment as soon as Iverson and Iverson's companion left.
"At the time, I was worried about protecting myself," Jones said. "I really don't like the idea of a person thinking my life is in their hands."
Jones, who said he is a Sixers fan who likes Iverson as a player, would not say whether or not he would press charges against the superstar.
"I'm not going to say what actions I want to take. All I'm going to say is what's wrong is wrong, and what's right is right," he said.
Iverson attorney Tom Shuttleworth declined comment yesterday. Another Iverson attorney, Lawrence Woodward Jr., met with police on Monday.
"It's inappropriate for a lawyer to comment about a pending investigation. We have confidence in the legal system and we're going to let the process run its course," Shuttleworth, of Virginia Beach, Va., said yesterday.
Iverson has not commented publicly, and no one answered the intercom yesterday outside his mansion. Two Cadillac Escalades - one white, one red - sat in the driveway, and landscapers worked in the yard.
It wasn't immediately clear how Iverson could have entered the apartment building, because the front entrance is locked and visitors must either punch a key code to gain entry or be buzzed in by a resident.
Jones claimed Iverson was let in by the superintendent of Cobbs Creek Court, a charge the superintendent angrily denied.
"I didn't let Iverson in because I didn't see Iverson," the superintendent, who would identify himself only as Mike, said yesterday before hanging up on a reporter.
Addressing questions about whether the police were giving the Iverson case special attention, Johnson said: "We are, and so is the news media. If this was John Doe, it wouldn't be getting the attention."
Iverson, the NBA MVP in 2001, led the NBA in scoring during the regular season, averaging 31.4 points. A three-time all-star, he led the 76ers to the NBA Finals in 2001, their first appearance in 18 years.
In 1993, he was arrested in a Hampton, Va., bowling alley brawl and spent four months in prison before then-Gov. Douglas Wilder granted clemency. The Virginia Court of Appeals overturned the conviction in 1995.
In 1997, Iverson pleaded no contest to a gun charge after police in Richmond, Va., stopped a car in which he was a passenger and found a gun belonging to Iverson and two marijuana cigarettes. He pleaded no contest to the gun charge, and a marijuana-possession charge was dropped. He was sentenced to probation.
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