Chicago Blackhawk Patrick Kane, 20, and his cousin James Kane, 21, pleaded not guilty Thursday in city court to charges of harassment, assault and theft of services.
City Court Judge Thomas Amodeo ordered that both the Kanes and the cab driver involved in the assault avoid any contact with each other.
Further proceedings are scheduled for next Thursday morning.
The two are accused of assaulting 62-year-old cab driver Jan Radecki, after a dispute over payment for a cab ride on August 9th.
Patrick Kane ((pictured, thanks WIVB-TV)) has hired a high-powered Buffalo lawyer who said today his client committed no crime in connection with the Sunday morning incident which landed him behind bars.
Kane, the star NHL player from South Buffalo, and his cousin, James M. Kane, have a felony hearing scheduled in Buffalo City Court next Monday following their arrest Sunday morning on robbery and other charges.
Attorney Paul J. Cambria Jr. said Kane will be exonerated once all the evidence comes to light.
"Obviously he's upset that he would be accused of something like this," Cambria said. "He hasn't committed a crime, and I think the evidence is going to demonstrate that."
Both Kanes appeared with attorneys and pleaded not guilty before City Court Judge E. Jeannette Ogden on Sunday, according to a court representative.
Each was charged with two counts of second-degree robbery, Class C felonies, as well as misdemeanor criminal mischief and a violation after an alleged altercation with a cab driver.
According to police reports, a dispute between Patrick Kane, 20, his relative and a 62-year-old cab driver arose over 20 cents in change for cab fare.
The Kanes are accused of assaulting the cab driver and failing to pay their fare after getting a ride from Chippewa Street in the downtown night club district, according to police reports.
The Kanes were arrested at about 5 a.m. on Eastwood Place, off Main Street near Canisius College, according to Buffalo police reports.
The two allegedly punched the cab driver and grabbed money they had handed him after he told them he didn't have 20 cents in coins to give them their change, the report said.
Their fare was $13.80 and they handed the driver $15, according to a report.
The cab driver told police he was punched in the face and head, grabbed by the throat and his glasses were broken during the incident.
A torn $5 bill was found in James Kane's pocket while in the Erie County Holding Center, the report said.
Buffalo Police Department spokesman Michael J. DeGeorge confirmed Patrick Kane and a relative were arrested after an incident involving a cab driver.
The cab driver, reached at his home Sunday night by the Chicago Tribune, said he was recovering from a broken nose in the incident.
"They broke my glasses; they ripped my clothes off, all over 20 cents," he told the newspaper.
After picking up the Kanes up from Chippewa Street, the driver said, he was leery of them because they didn't give him a destination address right away.
During the dispute over their payment, the driver said, James Kane, who was sitting behind him, "sucker-punched" him from behind.
At that point, Patrick Kane "punched me in the head. He says, "You don't know who you're [messing] with! You don't know who you're [messing] with, [expletive]!' And he kept pounding and pounding on me," the driver said.
The Kanes spent about 2½ hours in the Erie County Holding Center before being taken to Buffalo City Court at about 8 a.m. for arraignment before Judge Ogden.
They were released after their arraignment, the Erie County Sheriff's Office said.
DeGeorge said police do not have any information about the Kanes' activities or specific whereabouts prior to their arrest.
The cab driver was an independent operator and did not work for a local cab company, DeGeorge said.
Blackhawks director of media relations Brandon Faber issued the following statement on behalf of the team:
"We are aware of the allegations towards Patrick Kane. He's a big part of our organization and a team leader, and we stand behind him. As we are still collecting all the facts, it would be premature to comment further at this time."
A Buffalo News reporter went to Kane's Buffalo home Sunday evening, but no one answered the door.
Calls to Kane's agent and his parents' South Buffalo home from The News were not returned.
"I was in Chicago and I'm just on my way home now," Kane's mother, Madonna, told the Chicago Sun-Times when reached by phone Sunday afternoon. "So I really don't have anything to report at this time because I don't have the whole details yet. I want to know what's going on before I say anything [else]."
The newspaper The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Kane is due to join the U.S. Olympic team next week, and it's not clear if this arrest would affect his participation.
"While we look forward to Patrick coming to the orientation camp as planned, we must let the legal process take its course and see where it winds up," camp communications chief Dave Fischer said, the Sun-Times reported. "This three-day camp is just an orientation camp for the 34 prospects and staff to get to know each other better. Certainly, there is a code of conduct that an Olympian must sign once he becomes an Olympian. But no one is an Olympian at this time. Just a prospect."
Wednesday, Kane was at Timothy J. Burvid Ice Rink in Cazenovia Park to help Mayor Byron W. Brown announce funding to improve the rink and other park facilities. "Today is special for me," Kane said at the ceremony. "This is where I grew up playing hockey. This is the first rink I probably skated in when I was 6 years old."
Kane was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 NHL draft, the 2008 Rookie of the Year and earns $875,000, including bonuses, per year from the Blackhawks, according to the Sun-Times.
"It's special for me; it's the place I grew up," Kane said at the park. "The best part is coming back and hanging out with your buddies and your family."
Brown declared Kane and fellow NHL star Buffalo native professional hockey player and Buffalo native Tim Kennedy "hometown heroes." and one parent at the park with her son that day called them "role models."
"I'll tell you one thing: It's a lot of fun playing in the NHL and playing on the ice and playoffs and certain things, and being part of an Original Six organization with the Blackhawks," Kane told the crowd. "But to come back home and drive in the driveway for the first time for summer, and realize that you have a long time to hang out back home in Buffalo [is a great feeling].
"The best thing about it is my friends treat me like I'm a regular kid. They don't treat me like a celebrity or whatever they might treat me like in Chicago."
"I'm obviously not going to reveal everything I know," said attorney Paul J. Cambria Jr. "I know enough to know that there was no crime demonstrated by the evidence that I'm aware of."
Here's your noon Monday update Thanks to our friends at WIVB-TV. Victoria Hong is your anchor...
Blackhawks star winger Patrick Kane ((pictured, thanks WIVB-TV)) was arrested early this morning in his hometown of Buffalo and faces robbery and other charges after allegedly assaulting a cab driver and failing to pay the fare, according to police.
Kane, 20, and a relative, James M. Kane, 21, believed to be his cousin, are alleged to have punched the cab driver and taken back money they had given him after the driver told them he didn't have 20 cents in coins to give them change, according to Buffalo police spokesman Michael DeGeorge.
The police said the fare was $13.80 and the two Kanes had paid the driver $15. The cab driver told police he was punched in the face, grabbed by his throat and had his glasses broken in the altercation.
Police said Kane and his relative were arrested about 5 a.m. after leaving Chippewa Street, an area in Buffalo known for its nightlife. DeGeorge said the Kanes were picked up by a male cab driver while downtown around 4 a.m. He said the taxi drove them to Eastwood Place, a residential street a few miles away.
"Upon arriving there, there was some type of a dispute and an altercation," DeGeorge said. "The cab driver was struck about the head and face and suffered some cuts."
DeGeorge said they were charged with second-degree robbery, a Class C felony, and fourth-degree criminal mischief and theft of services, both Class A misdemeanors, and were taken to the Erie County Holding Center.
WIVB-TV in Buffalo reported that an attorney for the Kanes entered a not guilty plea for both about 9 a.m. in Buffalo City Court. DeGeorge could not confirm that. He also did not know whether the Kanes were still in police custody or had been released.
