Raja Jackson has pleaded not guilty.
The son of former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson appeared in court on Thursday after he was charged with felony battery and misdemeanor battery for assaulting a pro wrestler at an event in Los Angeles this past August. After being arrested and subsequently released on $50,000 bail in September, Jackson was back in court after the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office moved forward with the criminal complaint against him.
Based on the charges, Jackson faces up to seven years in prison if convicted, including a sentencing enhancement of three years for allegedly causing “great bodily injury” to Stuart Smith, otherwise known as Syko Stu.
The 25-year-old is scheduled to be back in court on November 24 for a preliminary hearing in his case.
Syko Stu likely done with wrestling after Raja Jackson attack
While attending a Knokx Pro event in Los Angeles, Jackson was scheduled to interfere in a match when he decided to go off script. Sliding into the ring, Jackson lifted Smith into the air and violently slammed him down on the mat. Jackson then unleashed more than 20 uncontested punches, many of them landing after Smith had already been rendered unconscious.
Smith was admitted to a local hospital, where he spent several days in the ICU. Family members later revealed he suffered trauma to both the upper and lower jaws, a laceration to his upper lip, and a fracture to the maxilla bone, which resulted in the loss of several teeth from the assault.
Douglas Malo, one of the men who helped rip Jackson off of Smith’s body during the attack, revealed to TMZ that his friend’s pro wrestling career is likely over due to the assault.
“I don’t even think it would be smart at this point,” Malo said. “He wasn’t necessarily a spring chicken before the event.”
