Two basketball players were stabbed in Braila, eastern Romania, on a terrace, during the night of Saturday to Sunday. One of them is seriously injured and has been transported to the Floreasca Emergency Hospital in Bucharest. His name of Darrel Bowie and has one lung perforated, he underwent surgery during the night.
The patient was transferred by SMURD helicopter to from Galati.
“The physicians have decided to transfer one of the Americans from Braila hospital to Bucharest. His condition is not worse, but the doctors decided it is better to transfer him, as precaution, to avoid complications. He was transported by SMURD helicopter to Bucharest at about 15.00h,” SMURD Galati coordinator, Angel Trifan, said.
Floreasca Hospital spokesman, Bogdan Oprita, has confirmed that the athlete has arrived at the hospital in Bucharest.
Two American basketball players, Darrel Bowie and Joseph McClain, playing with a basketball team in Braila (ACS Cuza Sport Braila), were stabbed on the night of Saturday to Sunday, at about 2.00h, while in a pub. The Americans were hit with bottles and a knife, being later transported in serious condition to the hospital, digi24.ro informs. It seems they had a conflict with unknown persons.
According to some information, the colleagues of the two basketball players witnessed the scene.
It is believed that one of the aggressors is an interloper from Braila, known as Gabriel Hussein and nicknamed Dasaev. The police are looking for him.
“At about 2.00h, two American citizens had a spontaneous conflict with other persons, on a terrace of a pub, the groups hit each other and in the end the American Citizens were stabbed,” Braila County Police spokesperson, Geanina Niculae, said.
Reports read that both players underwent surgery, but Bowie is in a serious condition, with a perforated lung.
“The patients are 24 and 26 years old, victims of an aggression,” the Braila County Hospital spokesperson, Alina Neacsu, said.
It was a racist attack, McClain says. Prosecutors start investigations
Joseph McClain (24), one of the two American basketball bats stabbed on Sunday in Braila on Saturday, had a first reaction after the incident. He says that he and his colleague, Darrel Bowie, have done nothing wrong and that they were, in fact, the victims of a racist attack.
“They’ve been arguing with us because I’m black. They had no argument, I did not say anything, we were there, and we were trying to feel good,” said the American basketball player for Antena 3 TV. He denied that the whole conflict started due to a woman who allegedly was the girlfriend of one of the interlopers. “No one had any business with her,” McClain added.
The Prosecutors with the Prosecutor’s Office upon the Braila Court investigate the criminal case.
Based on the filming made in the pub where the incident took place, the investigators have a group of suspects.
Representatives of the Cuza Sport Club, presented the first information from the prosecutors’ investigation and say that the athletes were attacked without reason by a large group of individuals, 8-9 individuals. “We want to make it clear that this incident did not start, as is speculated in the press, because of woman from the group of attackers, as the athletes came in a small group, not interfering with anyone else in the pub,” the Cuza Sport club statement reads.
US Embassy is closely following the developments
The United States Embassy in Bucharest informs that is aware of the case in which two American basketball players were involved in Braila, and is closely following the developments, hotnews.ro reported.
Photo: digisport.ro