A member of the Indiana Pacers was stabbed early Wednesday morning along with his wife. Two Atlanta Hawks members were also arrested after the incident, but are not suspects in the stabbings.
Chris Copeland, a 31-year-old forward for the team, was stabbed in the abdomen near the 1 OAK nightclub in New York, the New York Daily News reports. His wife, Katrine Salatra, was slashed in the breast, buttocks, and arms.
The incident began during an argument between Copeland and his wife. Shezoy Bleary, 22, interrupted the couple and Copeland asked him to leave. That's when Bleary pulled out a knife and began attacking, a police source told The New York Post.
A second woman, 53-year-old Catherine Somani, was also slashed in the abdomen during the altercation. Police told the Daily News that Somani knows Bleary, and was accidentally stabbed by him.
Jessica Meisels, spokesperson for 1 OAK, told The Huffington Post that the stabbing occurred away from the club. She said Copeland had only been in the club for about ten minutes prior to the attack.
"At any given point, we have about 20 security officers just outside," Meisels said. [Copeland] was stabbed, then stumbled back towards safety where there were people."
Meisels said that Copeland's driver was the first to spring into action and detain the suspect. Bleary was never in the nightclub, she added.
The Pacers said they were working on finding out more information.
"Our thoughts are with Chris and those injured," the team said in a statement.
When police arrived, Atlanta Hawks members Pero Antic and Thabo Sefolosha were arrested and charged with obstructing governmental administration when they allegedly refused to move for authorities, according to the Washington Post.
The Atlanta Hawks said they are aware of the situation between its two players.
"We are in the process of gathering more information and will have further comment at the appropriate time," they said in a statement.
Copeland and his wife were transported to Bellevue Hospital and are in stable condition. Somani was taken to Lenox Hill Hospital.
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