Truth revealed behind ex-Dodgers star Rafael Furcal's arrest after shock road rage accusation
Rafael Furcal is one of the most beloved members of the LA Dodgers from the late 2000s. The former All-Star spent six seasons with the club, not only delivering one of the best seasons of his career with the Dodgers but also establishing himself as a key member of those pre-2010 teams.
Unfortunately, the former Dodgers star has found himself in the headlines for the wrong reasons. Earlier this week, Furcal turned himself in to the police after an incident led to the former Rookie of the Year facing charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and throwing a deadly missile into an occupied vehicle.
While the situation was confusing, MLB insider Mike Rodriguez provided some clarity in a social media post on Friday. According to Furcal's family, Rafael had used a rock in self-defense against a knife-wielding attacker. However, a rock is considered a deadly weapon in the U.S.
"Rafael Furcal is home. Following my post taken from the New York Times, his family informed me that someone attempted to attack him with a knife, and he defended himself with a rock," Rodriguez wrote on social media.
Following the incident, which, according to a court affidavit, occurred outside of a Publix on April 28, Rafael Furcal surrendered himself to Broward County police on Wednesday. According to court reports, the former St. Louis Cardinals star was released on $7,500 bond later that day.
"In the United States, authorities consider a rock a lethal weapon, describing his action as throwing a missile, but apparently, he was just defending himself from the attacker," Rodriguez continued.
Rafael Furcal has had run-ins with authority in the past
Rafael Furcal spent 14 seasons in Major League Baseball, spending time with the LA Dodgers, the St. Louis Cardinals, the Miami Marlins and the Atlanta Braves. It was with the Braves that Furcal endured a pair of incidents involving the police.
In both 2000 and 2004, he was arrested for driving under the influence. The first arrest came with its own share of controversy as Furcal was originally charged with underage drinking, as the Braves had him listed as 19 years old.
It turns out that Furcal was 22 at the time of the arrest, which led to the underage drinking charge being dropped.