Kane Incident 'Blown Out of Proportion', says taxi driver's attorney

davetherave wrote:

It doesn't even really look like him.

Unedited Buffalo News footage of interview with Jan Radecki, courtesy CLTV Chicago.

 

Interesting to see the full video by the cabbie... still not clear on how it all went down. The way he describes it is they jumped him before paying, and then he says he didn't have the $0.20 to give them and then they snatched their money back plus $100...

I've seen portions of this video on the news here but not the very start of it.

Hmmm...

The key piece, for me at least, is that there was a witness that saw the beatings and called the police. At the end of the day, the allegations that they beat the driver are the most serious, and they'll need to stand trial for that.

I'll bet that had the witness not called the police... we would not have even known about this at all.

I was listening to Team 990 (Montreal) and they had a cabbie call in. One comment he made that stuck with me is that cabbies go through a lot of these kinds of situations. Maybe 20 years ago a cabbie packing a tire iron under his seat could easily defend himself, that is not the case any more. In a case where we are talking about losing a $15 fare, or even losing a $100, the course of action is known ahead of time -- let it go, not worth it. Not nearly.

Also, Kane is under-aged and a celebrity. Simply because he is under-aged he shold not have been in a bar, much less in a bar at 3AM int he morning. Because he is a celebrity he should try to avoid confrontation even more than a cabbie would.

Am I prejudging him? Perhaps. It's just that none of this adds up at all unless the Kanes did something they should have thought better about not doing.

Oh, and the defendant's lawyer saying that this has been blown out of proportion -- after his client has gone on record describing the events -- reeks of an out-of-court settlement. The charge was a felony, right? I don't think, in a felony case, that the defendant can opt to not press charges. So it sounds like the lawyer is trying to make sure this does not happen, so then his client can choose not to press charges and everything is over.

Well, sort of. Kane's reputation is shot and will never fully recover.

What would Craig Ferguson say about all this?

Kane's agent Pat Brisson made his statement today:

"Early Sunday morning, Pat Kane was involved in an unfortunate situation with a cab driver in Buffalo.

"The cab driver's attorney in recent media reports was quoted as saying that the incident has been blown out of proportion. Kane has retained Paul Cambria as his attorney in this matter. Cambria has told me that, based on the evidence that he has reviewed in this case, there is no doubt that Mr. Kane will be fully exonerated.

"Since this is an ongoing legal matter, I think it is inappropriate for me to comment further at this time. But I am absolutely confident that, when the legal process has been completed, Pat Kane will be fully cleared."

Asked about whether the incident, and Kane's pending court appearance, would affect his status with the US Olympic Hockey Team, ESPN reports, " USA Hockey spokesman Dave Fischer said Monday that Kane is still expected to participate in the three-day camp."

IMHO if Kane has the character to put this behind him, he can become not only a wiser and more mature person, but a stronger one.

His best revenge against his critics and the lynch mob would be to have an outstanding hockey season.

In the meantime, young Patrick might want to take some advice from the Irish poet W.B. Yeats:
Choose your companions from the best; Who draws a bucket with the rest soon topples down the hill.

Dave, why do you keep talking about lynch mobs? This incident reeks and Kane should have never been at the center of it. But no-one has lynched him yet. They are rightfully upset that this kid would be caught anywhere near something like this, much less being right in the center.

So, quick question, with NHL 10 slated to launch next month, how does that affect the cover label?

Prager, both the attorneys for Radecki and Kane have gone on the record as saying no felony was committed.

Radecki's attorney, Andrew LoTempio, was emphatic in his interview on WGN Radio--the number one news station in Chicago and one of the most listened to in the United States, that no discussion of 'compensation' for Mr Radecki was/is taking place.

Kane's attorney, Paul Cambria appears to be in agreement with his colleague's assessment of the situation.

You can listen to the interview with LoTempio here:
http://www.wgnradio.com/shows/gregjarrett/wgnradio-gjuncut090810a,0,2279165.mp3file

Or if you wish, you can download the file here:
http://www.wgnradio.com/media/mp3file/2009-08/48568079.mp3

You can hear Kane's attorney Paul Cambria in his interview on Buffalo's WEDG here:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-090810-cambria-interview-mp3,0,2887318.mp3file

As for the 'lynch mob', led by the piranhas in the hockey media, they are what they are.

This is not about Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawk...this young man could have been a player from any team, including the one you cheer for.

Kane reputation was shredded with hours of the incident, even though the facts were, at best, murky.

And what of Jan Radecki? A situation that got out of hand, a story that got turned a nationally broadcast 'scandal', with Radecki's own account used as the ammunition. Who will give Mr. Radecki back his privacy?

davetherave wrote:Prager, both the attorneys for Radecki and Kane have gone on the record as saying no felony was committed.

Come on man... money will make anyone say anything...

Sure, Shabbs.

Here's something else for you to think about.

Perhaps Mr Radecki also has something to answer for.

This from The Buffalo News today:

The city cab driver who has accused National Hockey League star Patrick Kane and his cousin of robbing and attacking him Sunday morning has two drunken driving convictions and had no valid driver's license at the time of the incident, The Buffalo News has learned.

...According to City Court records, Radecki pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated charges in February 1999. He was sentenced to 15 days in jail and three years' probation.


Read the rest here.
http://www.buffalonews.co...e/story/760115.html?imw=Y

What does that have to do with the incident? Sounds like a smear campaign to me... as we've seen... people make mistakes. Can't have it both ways.

wprager wrote:So, quick question, with NHL 10 slated to launch next month, how does that affect the cover label?

The EA Cover Curse lives on!

Remember back in 2004? Thornton was the original choice... then he got arrested... so they switched to Heatley... then he had the car accident and they switched finally to Sakic.

Coincidence... or curse?

shabbs wrote:What does that have to do with the incident? Sounds like a smear campaign to me... as we've seen... people make mistakes. Can't have it both ways.

You obviously haven't read the article. Read it.

Radecki was driving without a valid license at the time. That's illegal, and totally relevant to the case.

Was he intoxicated as well? That question would probably arise in court.

The other question revolves around Radecki locking the two Kanes inside his cab, which in legal terms, can be characterized as unlawful imprisonment.

You want to know why Radecki's lawyer doesn't want this to go to court? There are a number of reasons. One being because his client would possibly lose his cab license.

davetherave wrote:

shabbs wrote:What does that have to do with the incident? Sounds like a smear campaign to me... as we've seen... people make mistakes. Can't have it both ways.

You obviously haven't read the article. Read it.

Radecki was driving without a valid license at the time. That's illegal, and totally relevant to the case.

Was he intoxicated as well? That question would probably arise in court.

The other question revolves around Radecki locking the two Kanes inside his cab, which in legal terms, can be characterized as unlawful imprisonment.

You want to know why Radecki's lawyer doesn't want this to go to court? There are a number of reasons. One being because his client would possibly lose his cab license.

What's Kanes excuse for wearing that ridiculous looking mouthguard? Shouldn't that be a felony?

This can be viewed from many different angles.