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Former Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal was involved in a road rage incident on Wednesday, leading to his arrest in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The 2000 NL Rookie of the Year was charged with two felonies, one of which involved throwing a deadly missile into an occupied vehicle, USA Today reported.
Rafael Furcal spoke to Tenchy Rodriguez, a New York-based Spanish-language reporter, indicating that the “deadly missile” used was a rock, which he threw at a truck driver who had attacked Furcal with a knife.
The rock thrown at the truck driver injured his hand. It's unknown if there were any other injuries involved.
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According to Rodriguez, Furcal willingly surrendered to police, with the charges still under investigation.
USA Today reported that Rafael Furcal had faced two prior arrests, one in 2000 and the other in 2004 for driving under the influence. The 2004 incident led to Furcal serving a 21-day jail sentence for a probation violation.
If convicted, Furcal could face serious legal consequences as the charges currently levied are felonies. Such charges generally involve mandatory jail time.
Looking back at Rafael Furcal’s 2004 conviction
In 2004, Rafael Furcal was arrested for driving under the influence for a second time, triggering a probation violation.
The violation levied a 21-day jail sentence. However, Furcal got special consideration from Judge David Darden to play in the Atlanta Braves’ postseason. According to an article published by the Tampa Bay Times on Oct. 7, 2004, Judge Darden agreed to let Furcal play for the Braves, ordering that he must serve the prison sentence immediately following the end of the Braves season.
The judge ordered Furcal to house arrest during the postseason or to be confined to a hotel during road games.
Following the mandatory prison sentence, Furcal was ordered to undergo a 28-day substance abuse treatment program.
The incident occurred on Sept. 10, 2004, the second since the original June 2000 arrest. Since then, Furcal has been clear of legal charges until now.
Furcal played for 14 seasons in the Majors with the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals and the Miami Marlins. He was on the Cardinals’ 2011 World Series roster.
Furcal was a three-time All-Star, playing in over 1,600 games hitting 113 home runs and driving in 587 runs. His best year came in 2003 when he hit 15 homers and drove in 61 runs. He led the league in triples, with 10, and racked up a 4.9 WAR.
