Arrest in Murder of U.S. Basketball Player in Romania
- Posted on October 10, 2011 at 6:40pm by
Tiffany Gabbay
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BUCHAREST, Romania (The Blaze/AP) — A man was arrested Monday in the killing of Chauncey Hardy, a former basketball player at Sacred Heart in Connecticut who prosecutors say was punched in the face by the boyfriend of a woman Hardy was with in a bar.
Ionut Adrian Tanasoaia surrendered to police and will be in custody for 29 days while he awaits trial. He is accused of beating up Hardy in a bar in the southern Romanian city of Giurgiu on Saturday night.
Hardy died shortly after surgery Sunday in Bucharest. The 23-year-old player sustained severe head injuries and was in a coma when admitted to the hospital in Giurgiu, where he played for CSS Giurgiu and was celebrating a victory over rival Dinamo Bucharest.
Hardy was punched after he playfully put his cap on a woman’s head, prosecutors said. They added that the woman’s boyfriend objected to the gesture, and Hardy tried to show he didn’t understand Romanian. Tanasoaia then allegedly punched Hardy on the chin and he fell to the ground.
A preliminary autopsy revealed a massive hemorrhage and broken skull. Giurgiu county hospital spokeswoman Elisabeta Bene said Monday that doctors initially suspected Hardy was in a coma because he had been drinking. She said his condition deteriorated a few hours later and he was transferred to a hospital in Bucharest, 38 miles from Giurgiu.
Romania’s health ministry Monday ordered an inquiry to determine whether emergency procedures had been followed.
Hardy, who arrived in Romania in August, was a guard at Sacred Heart from 2006 to 2010. He averaged 12.5 points in his last season.
“This is not just about a basketball player, but the person as well,” Sacred Heart coach Dave Bike said in a statement Sunday. “It transcends what happens on a basketball court. We feel tremendous sadness and loss for Chauncey’s family and those who were close to him.”
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mountainmatt
Posted on October 12, 2011 at 12:15pmI go to Romania every year for a month or two. It’s a beautiful country, the people are very friendly and they love Americans. I have never once had a problem in the bars, even in the poorer portions of the country. Romanians are patient and rarely act irrationally. This guy just chose to flirt with the wrong girl at the wrong time. This situation can happen in any bar anywhere in the world for a reason or a misunderstanding. A guy swing on me in Vail, CO a couple years ago. I was just standing next to his girlfriend at the bar ordering a beer and she smiled at me.
Report Post »dragonazz
Posted on October 11, 2011 at 2:58pmHe won’t do that again! Do not mess with other people’s women, even if she wants to have contact. Be very careful.
Report Post »Halloween
Posted on October 11, 2011 at 1:11pmBlacks are not a protected species in Romania like they are in America. When he tried to pull his usual nightclub antics in Romania, they acted without fear of being called a racist or committing a hate crime.
Report Post »South Philly Boy
Posted on October 11, 2011 at 10:53amWhy would anybody want go to Romania?…
http://www.brainparking.com/view/topic.cfm?key_or=802001
http://www.brainparking.com/view/topic.cfm?key_or=802003
Report Post »rlimike
Posted on October 11, 2011 at 5:05amHe was probably acting like a fool & this is the consequence,not everyone is into the hip-hop scene.
Report Post »garclar
Posted on October 11, 2011 at 12:41amYou have to know where you are at when you walk into a place where you might not be very well known, not know the language, and above all leave someone else’s woman alone. People take offense easily especially after they might have been drinking for a while. You have to know your limitations, he just did the wrong thing at the wrong time in the wrong place….
Report Post »oh4ore09
Posted on October 11, 2011 at 1:20amNo the guy who punched him did the wrong thing at the wrong time in the wrong place.
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