Elk Grove, California man says police ended his professional basketball career

An Elk Grove man has sued the city after he alleges officers destroyed his professional basketball career in 2022 when they broke his knee with a baton.

Dakarai Allen, a former NBA G League player, filed a lawsuit earlier this week against the city of Elk Grove and four Elk Grove police officers. The G League is the official minor league of the NBA, according to its website, and prepares players, coaches, officials, trainers and front-office personnel for the NBA while serving as the league’s research and development lab.

The incident occurred around 11 p.m. on Oct. 14, 2022, when Allen, then 27, was driving to his Elk Grove home after a work event where he had consumed two glasses of wine, the complaint said. He realized he shouldn’t be driving, so he pulled over to sleep in his car in a residential area near his home. Residents called police, and officers Sean McPherson and Evan Kwan arrived and woke Allen, who is Black.

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According to video footage viewed by Allen’s attorneys, the officers announced themselves, then opened the car door and pulled him out of the vehicle, pinned him against the side of his car, handcuffed him and then slammed him against the car, the complaint said. They then pulled him down, causing his face to hit the cement. On the way down, McPherson accidentally tripped over Allen’s legs, causing both Allen and McPherson to fall.

“Agitated, Officer McPherson delivered two forceful baton blows to Mr. Allen’s right leg, fracturing his knee in three places,” the complaint states. “Mr. Allen immediately cried out in pain. Fearing for his life and safety, Mr. Allen attempted to lie on his stomach.”

Allen still walks with a limp and the injury prevents him from continuing his professional basketball career, said Christopher Dean, his attorney.

“The baton strikes have essentially shattered our client’s promising future of playing in the NBA G-League and prospects of playing overseas,” Dean said. “He has attempted to return to the competition but he has not been able to perform necessary tasks, such as standing on his feet for too long or jumping or moving back and forth on the field. He has not been able to function fully.”

Elk Grove city spokeswoman Kristyn Laurence did not respond to messages seeking comment on the lawsuit. Neither did the officers. A spokesman for the Elk Grove Police Department declined to comment.

Under a state law meant to increase police transparency, particularly in incidents involving people of color, law enforcement agencies must release video footage and reports of the incidents within 45 days if officers cause serious fractures, said attorney David Loy of the First Amendment Coalition.

Unlike the Sacramento Police Department and Sacramento Sheriff’s Office, the Elk Grove Police Department does not have a website where it posts videos and reports of such incidents. The department has not responded to a request made Wednesday by The Sacramento Bee under the California Public Records Act for the material.

“It’s common for police departments to withhold information when they want to hide the truth,” Dean said.

Career-threatening incident

When he was injured in a police shooting in 2022, he was out of action but planned to play again, Dean said.

“He wanted to either come back to the G League or go overseas and play on an international team,” Dean said. “Those economic opportunities are no longer available to him — someone who had a promising future in basketball.”

Allen last played for the NBA G League Ignite during the 2021-22 season, where he played alongside fellow Sacramento native Malik Pope. In 24 games, Allen averaged 4.5 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game in 20.4 minutes.

Before signing with the Ignite team, Allen signed for the second time with the Salt Lake City Stars. He first signed with them after going undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft, following a successful local tryout.

Things started to click for Allen when he joined the Ontario-based Agua Caliente Clippers in 2018. On February 11, he scored a career-high 22 points against the Northern Arizona Suns.

The following season he was transferred to the Grand Rapids Drive, now called Gold, where he averaged 7.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.

Before moving to the G League, Allen played four years at San Diego State under legendary coach Steve Fisher, where he had a solid collegiate career, averaging 8.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 52.6% field goal shooting in his senior year.

In his senior year of college, Allen was known for his tenacity on defense. With his 7-foot-10 wingspan, he was able to steal the ball from opponents. At 6-foot-5, he averaged 1.3 steals and 0.8 blocks. This performance was good enough to earn him the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year award.

Before he was crushing opponents in college, Allen terrorized players on the hardwood for four years as a varsity starter at Sheldon High School. Known as a high-flying, versatile scorer in high school, Allen is a former Bee Player of the Year recipient (2013) and was named to the Bee’s All-Decade team.

Allen now works as a teaching assistant, Dean said.

The excessive force lawsuit was filed by the law firm of John Burris, who has filed numerous police brutality lawsuits across California.