Search icon

News

14th Jun 2018

Conor McGregor appears in court to face bus assault charges, apologises for behaviour

He is in plea negotiations and will appear in court again in July

Oli Dugmore

He is in plea negotiations and will appear in court again in July

Conor McGregor has appeared in court in New York.

McGregor was arrested after a video appeared to show McGregor and a large group of men attacking the red corner fighter’s bus, after the UFC 223 media day, in an apparent attempt to reach long-term rival Khabib Nurmagomedov.

The 29-year-old was freed on $50,000 bail and allowed to return to Ireland. He is charged with three counts of assault and one count of criminal mischief, including a felony charge, which could result in seven years in prison.

Conor was appearing in court to see if he was indicted. In every felony case in New York, the case must be indicted before the District Attorney can proceed to trial.

An indictment is when a Grand Jury is empaneled to determine whether there is “reasonable cause,” to find that the defendant committed the crimes charged.

However, a plea deal can also be reached at any time during the case, including today. The hearing lasted all of 45 seconds but, crucially, it was stated that Conor is in plea negotiations and his next court appearance will be July 26.

At a press conference after the appearance Conor McGregor said: “I regret my actions that led me here today. I understand the seriousness of this matter and I am hopeful that it gets resolved soon. Thank you.”

Dmitriy Shakhnevich is a Brooklyn criminal defence attorney and also host of The Fight Lawyer Podcast. Most of his clients and cases come out of the courthouse where Conor has been charged. He told JOE: “As expected, Conor’s team will be back in Court on July 26, likely to enter a plea. It is not clear yet if Conor was indicted. But the DA has more time to do so. At this point, let’s see if a plea is entered on July 26. It likely will be.”