Alex Galchenyuk video: NHL player threatens officers, utters racial slurs in bodycam footage
Authorities in Scottsdale, Arizona released bodycam footage of former NHL forward Alex Galchenyuk, who was arrested in July, accused of making threats to officials after a traffic accident.
The video, nearly 40 minutes in length, shows a drunk Galchenyuk making threats to police officers, saying things such as they will “die in the desert, "I will end your bloodline," and uttering racial slurs to one of the officers, who was Black.
(Editor's note: Readers can view a portion of the Galchenyuk video here, which contains offensive and NSFW language.)
Police initially responded to a possible hit-and-run incident, where a parking lot sign, a curb and another vehicle were struck.
According to a police report, authorities saw a man lying on the ground and later identified him as Galchenyuk. Galchenyuk's father was in the driver's seat of a white BMW while Galchenyuk was in the passenger seat, police said, but later determined that the hockey player was the one operating the vehicle at the time of the wreck.
The Arizona Coyotes terminated his one-year contract immediately after the arrest and days later Galchenyuk apologized for his "deeply offensive, uncalled for, horrendous, embarrassing, disrespectful, and just plain awful.”
Galchenyuk pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor threatening charge and had the other five charges dismissed in August.
The No. 3 overall in the 2012 NHL entry draft, Galchenyuk is currently on the roster for SKA St. Petersburg in the Kontinental Hockey League.