Oakland police officer suing Raptors president Masai Ujiri

The Oakland police officer involved in an altercation with Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri has launched a lawsuit against Ujiri, the Raptors, and MLSE.

In a federal lawsuit filed in California last week, the officer, Alan Strickland, is making a claim for personal injuries and damages that occurred “on or about” June 13, 2019, at Oracle Arena.

The incident, which some called out as an example of police racism and carding, took place at the arena just moments after Toronto defeated the Golden State Warriors to win the NBA Championship on June 13.

Ujiri was attempting to make his way onto the court when he was stopped by a sheriff’s deputy, who claimed he didn’t have the proper credentials displayed. This then led to an alleged altercation between the two men.

See also:
- Oakland police say Raptors President Masai Ujiri had credentials but not the right ones

At the time, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office said the officer who stopped Ujiri from entering the court following the team’s championship win was “doing his job” and race was not a factor.

Police spokesperson Sgt. Ray Kelly told Daily Hive although Ujiri did present credentials to the officer, he did not have the proper ones for the post-game celebration on the court.

In the lawsuit, Strickland said he has suffered injury to “his body, health, strength, activity, and person,” he “further alleges that such injuries resulted in permanent disability.”

Strickland’s claim further said that the “defendants knew or should have known” of Ujiri’s “propensity for violence.”

He alleges that the defendants failed to use reasonable care to protect individuals from “Ujiri’s intentionally harmful conduct.”

“Such conduct was reasonably foreseeable based on Masai Ujiri’s previous altercations involving similar circumstances and necessitated adequate security, which Defendants failed to provide,” reads the court documents.

In response to the lawsuit, an MLSE spokesperson told Daily Hive, “We have just been made aware this claim has been filed. We have no comment at this time.”

With files from Simran Singh