| Advertisement |
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 9 (UPI) -- Charges have been dropped against Los Angeles gang members accused of kidnapping a music producer who once said he had a sex tape of Shaquille O'Neal. In February, seven members of the Main Street Crips were charged with kidnapping, assault and robbery in the abduction of O'Neal's former friend Robert Ross. O'Neal, a former center for the Los Angeles Lakers, announced his retirement this year after 19 NBA seasons.
Advertisement
LA Superior Court Judge M.L. Villar de Lorgoria Tuesday granted a defense motion for dismissal of the charges against the gang members after prosecutors said they no longer wanted to proceed to trial, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Deputy District Attorney Hoon Chun said prosecutors did not have confidence in Ross' credibility. Ross had alleged O'Neal and his business partner, Mark Stevens, orchestrated the gangland kidnapping when Ross was taken from his Hollywood Hills home and beaten and robbed.
Ross, a one-time gang member himself, said the gang members had demanded a sex videotape allegedly of O'Neal, but later said he never possessed such a tape.
