Boston Celtics player faces criminal charges after allegedly choking ex-girlfriend ‘If you don’t stop talking I’m going to kill you’
Boston Celtics guard Jabari Bird had two more criminal charges added on to his pending strangulation case after his ex-girlfriend alleged last year that he choked her at least a dozen times over a four-hour period.
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On Wednesday, prosecutors added threats and witness intimidation, in connection with the Sept. 7 incident. The woman claims she was brutally beat and choked by Bird while in his Massachusetts apartment. The woman said he would choke her until she went limp, then he would let her catch her breath before choking her again, ESPN reports.
“If you don’t stop talking I’m going to kill you,” the victim claims Bird said, according to court docs obtained by TMZ.
She also claims Bird told her: “Tell anyone about this, I don’t care where you are, I’ll find you and I’ll kill you.”
Police said the woman reported that Bird choked her unconscious, threw her against the wall and dragged her by the ankles when she tried to leave his apartment. The alleged victim said she escaped when Bird had a seizure-like attack and fell. He was hospitalized for a few days.
Bird has maintained his innocence.
“I’m taking some time away from the team as I deal with my legal and medical issues. I apologize to my family, the Celtics organization, my teammates, the fans and the NBA for the unnecessary distraction that I have caused,” Bird wrote in a September statement.
“The information that has been released does not tell the full story. I do not condone violence against women. I am hopeful that in due time and process, I will be able to regain everyone’s trust.”
Brian Kelly, Bird’s lawyer, said that the NBA player “understands the seriousness of the allegations.”
The Celtics said in September that the team’s “thoughts are with the victim.”
‘Pursuant to Domestic Violence Policy in the NBA’s labor agreement, matters of this kind are handled by the League Office, not the team, and so the Celtics will be working with both the league and local authorities to assist in their ongoing investigations,’ a Celtics spokesperson explained in a statement.
