Last October 7th, after a Charlotte Hornets event, Angell Joseph was among the fans who gathered outside the arena hoping to meet the players. His mother, Tamaria McRae, said the alleged incident occurred when her son was 11.
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Explaining to Action 9, McRae said her son, now 12, asked LaMelo for an autograph, but the player reportedly didn’t stop to sign anything and drove off. “I just saw my son kind of go down and thought maybe he had dropped something,” she recalled. Angell didn’t drop anything, but the car allegedly drove over his foot, breaking it. She also described the emotional and physical toll Angell endured while recovering from his injury.
“For a while, I couldn’t even recognize who my child was because, like depression, not being able to go outside and play. When you see your children hurt, it hurts you. It’s been rough. It’s been real rough. I mean like I’m a strong person. This broke me. This right here, it really did,” she continued.
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The family’s lawyer, Cameron DeBrun, said they would have filed a claim with Ball’s insurance to cover medical bills, but the police report lacked crucial details, such as the NBA player’s insurer and name.
“Because that information was not provided, we only have one recourse, and that‘s the court system,”
The family is also suing the Hornets, claiming the team should have had more safety measures in place to protect fans during their annual Purple and Teal Day, an event where fans try to interact with players.
Ball’s agent nor the Charlotte Hornets have released a statement regarding the lawsuit.