Pacman Jones could face midemeanors, felony
ESPN.com news services
Monday, March 26, 2007
What the Tennessee Titans decide to do with Adam "Pacman" Jones might be the least of his problems.
Police in Las Vegas will recommend to the city's district attorney that Jones be charged with one count of felony coercion and also a midsdemeanor count of battery and a misdemeanor count of threat to life.
The charges stem from a melee that began inside the Minxx Gentlemen's Club and escalated to a triple shooting on Feb. 19. One man was left paralyzed.
"It took approximately five weeks to investigate this and it's not something we took lightly," Las Vegas Metro police lieutenant George Castro said at a Monday press conference. "We had to look at a lot of video and it came from five sources.
"You can only imagine what it was like that night, very violent, very chaotic, so some of the information we had was very sketchy."
Castro said that two full-time detectives and five part-time officers put in more than 500 hours investigating the incident.
Jones' bodyguard will also be charged with one count of felony coercion, as will a female friend of Jones. The club's owners have alleged that Jones was involved in the brawl that led to the gunfire and that he believes Jones knows the shooter.
A police report states that Jones brought a trash bag of money into the club to distribute to dancers and that the money sparked a struggle. The amount of cash -- reportedly in dollar bills -- has been disputed by the parties.
Castro said witness accounts indicate that Jones at one point prevented a security officer from stopping the altercation, but Jones was reportedly not armed.
"Did he have a weapon, No," Castro said. "Was he an inciter, Yes."
The investigation of the melee in the bar has progressed further than the one into the subsequent shooting.
"This is small steps we are taking," Castro said. "We're being patient."
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