NHL Player Alex Galchenyuk Threatened To Kill Officers During Traffic Stop According To Police, Coyotes Terminate His Contract
Details are starting to come out about the incident that led Arizona Coyotes to terminate forward Alex Galchenyuk's contract after just 12 days.
According to Arizona Sports, the Scottsdale Police Department's report lays out what happened during the incident on July 9.
It started when a BMW with two male occupants hit a sign and a curb and was spotted in a parking lot where they were seen laying next to the vehicle.
They then continued driving but were eventually pulled over. That's when an officer noticed that the two men were intoxicated.
During the stop, Galchenyuk reportedly exited the vehicle from the passenger side and began threatening the officer.
“You see my eyes, right? You understand I will chop all you (expletives),” Galchenyuk is quoted as saying.
The report alleges Galchenyuk attempted to reach for something under his seat, and that's when officers hauled him to the ground.
The police report says Galchenyuk used racial slurs and also issued more threats against officer and their families.
“I’m gunna chop you, your wife, your daughter,” the 11-NHL vet is alleged to have said in one instance.
“One phone call and you’re dead, your whole family, your blood line is dead,” he said in another.
Galchenyuk claimed to have connections he Russia. He allegedly threatened to use them to harm an officer's wife and daughter by having their kidney's cut out.
Coyotes Didn't Hesitate To Cut The Line On Galchenyuk
Galchenyuk is facing quite a few charges. These include private property hit and run, disorderly conduct, failure to obey, resisting arrest, and threatening or intimidating.
He'll of course get his day in court, but the Arizona Coyotes made it clear they wanted no part of this and began the process to terminate his one-year, two-way deal worth $775,000.
On Friday, the team put out a statement on the matter.
“We are aware of the incident involving Alex Galchenyuk and strongly condemn this type of behavior. Once the Club was made aware of the allegations, we immediately began the process of terminating his Standard Player’s Contract through the proper channels in conjunction with the National Hockey League," the team said, per The Hockey News.
"As a result, the Arizona Coyotes today have exercised the team’s right to terminate the contract of Alex Galchenyuk due to a material breach of the terms of his Standard Player’s Contract. The Club will have no further comment at this time.”
Galchenyuk spent last season with the Colorado Avalanche but only played 11 games. He spent most of the year with the Avalanche's AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles.
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