Man Declared Drunk, Charged in Sealy Case

The driver accused of killing swingman Malik Sealy of the Minnesota Timberwolves in a head-on crash in Minneapolis had a blood-alcohol level of nearly twice the legal limit, the Hennepin County attorney’s office said Wednesday.

Authorities also said Sealy’s blood-alcohol level was legal by 0.02 percentage points.

Souksangouane Phengsene, 43, of Minneapolis, was charged with three counts of criminal vehicular homicide. He was set to appear in court on the charges today, but the appearance could be postponed if he remains hospitalized, the attorney’s office said.

Phengsene had a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.19%, said Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar. The legal limit is 0.10%.

He was charged with driving in a grossly negligent manner, driving in a negligent manner while under the influence of alcohol and driving with a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.10% or more, Klobuchar said.

Investigators said Phengsene was driving the wrong way on Highway 100 early Saturday morning when his pickup smashed into Sealy’s sport utility vehicle in the Minneapolis suburb of St. Louis Park, killing the 30-year-old player who helped the Timberwolves to their best season this year.

Sealy was returning from a birthday celebration for teammate Kevin Garnett. His blood-alcohol concentration was 0.08%, under the legal limit, so it was not relevant to the charges against Phengsene, Klobuchar said.

Phengsene was convicted of misdemeanor drunken driving in Des Moines, Iowa, three years ago.

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San Antonio Spur forward Tim Duncan had surgery on his left knee, which had sidelined him as the defending NBA champions were eliminated in the first round of the year’s playoffs.

Duncan suffered torn cartilage in his left knee April 11 when he fell awkwardly after a dunk attempt against the Sacramento Kings. He sat out the final four games of the Spurs’ regular season because of the injury, then was sidelined for all of San Antonio’s playoff games.

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Miami Heat owner Micky Arison was fined $25,000 and players Tim Hardaway ($20,000) and Jamal Mashburn ($10,000) were also penalized for criticizing officials after the team’s elimination from the Eastern Conference semifinals by the New York Knicks.