Tape shows Wolves' Griffin in store after accident
It's amazing that the city left itself so open for a lawsuit like that... I wouldn't be surprised if Griffin is gone before the season starts.A videotape from a convenience store that Eddie Griffin of the Timberwolves went into after an accident in late March clearly shows a Minneapolis police officer saying, "He's not getting a DWI," and "We're taking him home to St. Paul."
The videotape was viewed Thursday by the Star Tribune after it was provided by the attorney for a man who is suing Griffin and the city of Minneapolis for damages sustained in the accident.
It supports the statements of several store employees who said that Griffin repeatedly said he was drunk and that he didn't want to go jail.
At one point during the 50-minute tape, Griffin offers to buy the owner of the damaged sport-utility vehicle he ran into "any new car or truck, but not a Bentley."
The Minneapolis Police Department is investigating whether the two officers who responded to the accident near University and 6th Avenues SE. failed to issue a ticket to Griffin for suspected drunken driving. Several witnesses indicated that they told officers Daniel Anderson and Matthew Lindquist that Griffin was drunk.
The officers did issue Griffin misdemeanor citations for no driver's license and inattentive driving.
There is no indication on the police report that officers gave Griffin blood-alcohol or field-sobriety tests.
The officers may have violated department policy when they drove Griffin to his home in St. Paul after the accident because they needed to contact a supervisor before leaving city limits.
Anderson and Lindquist, who both have been with the department since October 2001, remain on duty during the internal investigation.
Jamal Hassuneh, the owner of the damaged SUV and brother of the store owner, filed a lawsuit Thursday in Ramsey County District Court against Griffin and the city of Minneapolis.
The suit alleges that Griffin was watching a pornographic DVD in his SUV and masturbating when he crashed about 2:30 a.m. on March 30. Griffin, 24, had told the Star Tribune a day after the accident that a dropped cell phone caused him to crash.
Neither Griffin nor his attorney, Ron Meshbesher, could be reached for comment Thursday evening. Hassuneh's attorney, Michael Padden, said he had no comment on the case, but he said the lawsuit speaks for itself.
Griffin had undergone alcohol abuse treatment in the past, and he joined the Timberwolves in October 2004. The suit alleges the team's organization should have known that he wasn't maintaining his sobriety.
Timberwolves spokesman Mike Cristaldi said the team had no comment about the allegations that were made in the lawsuit. "We view it as an issue between Eddie and the person filing suit," he said.
On the videotape from Santana Foods, Griffin has trouble putting on a jacket and repeatedly staggers and tells people in the store he is drunk.
The suit claims that the officers failed to conduct a criminal investigation against Griffin and that the city has failed to train officers adequately in cases involving drunken drivers.
Because the case is under internal investigation, interim Chief Tim Dolan isn't allowed to comment.