LOS ANGELES – Former Chicago Bulls star Scottie Pippen won’t face any criminal charges after a fight with an autograph seeker outside a Malibu sushi restaurant earlier this summer, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Prosecutors said there was insufficient evidence against Pippen, who was dining with his family June 24 when he was approached by Camran Shafighi inside Nobu restaurant, a celebrity hangout on the beach in Malibu. They said Shafighi had a blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal limit for driving and exaggerated injuries that were deemed minor.
The fight occurred outside the restaurant after Shafighi asked to have his photo taken with Pippen. Authorities said Shafighi followed Pippen outside into the parking lot and asked for another photo and an autograph from Pippen, who said no.
Pippen told investigators that Shafighi was irate, “grabbing at him, cursing him and then spit in his face,” according to a report by the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.
Pippen admitted he spit at Shafighi and pushed him away, but it’s unclear whether Pippen was the aggressor or acting in self-defense, based on witness accounts.