NBA player J.R. Smith chased down and beat up an alleged vandal in Los Angeles amid the ongoing protests about George Floyd‘s murder. Smith said that the unidentified individual had broken a window on his truck on May 30. Now it appears that he will not face charges stemming from the incident.
According to TMZ, the victim of the attack has not gone to the police. Sources close to the situation said that this means prosecutors have no way to levy charges against Smith due to the incident. Law enforcement believes that it’s unlikely that the victim will come forward in the future since they have not already. Smith likely will not face charges for his “street justice.”
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TMZ Sports originally obtained a video of the incident in Los Angeles. The alleged vandal curled up on the ground while Smith kicked him repeatedly. The 6-foot-6-inch NBA player landed multiple kicks before easing up. Once the unidentified individual stood up, Smith punched him. As the incident continued, one of Smith’s friends walked up to various bystanders and asked them to “respect his privacy.”
Smith later spoke about the incident during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. He said that he “saw red” while attacking the alleged vandal, but he ultimately stopped putting as much effort into his kicks. He didn’t want his daughters to see him differently after the incident.
“I’m still disappointed with myself even though people say I shouldn’t be,” Smith said. “For me, I’m 34 years old. I have four little girls at home. I don’t want that image — regardless of the fact whether it was right or wrong — I don’t want them to have that image of their dad being capable of doing that and doing something like that.”
As Smith explained, the situation would be very different if someone attacked his daughters. He would not hesitate to defend them with his full strength. However, he does not want them to think of him as someone that could beat up a random person on the street.
Before discussing the incident with McAfee, Smith recorded his own reaction video. He explained that this was not a “hate crime” and that he was simply delivering a whooping to someone that vandalized his truck. He also clarified that this incident took place in a residential area away from the shops. Smith has expressed his support for peaceful protests and fighting to eliminate systemic racism. However, he also condemned the vandalism and looting.
