Former NHL agitator Sean Avery found guilty after hitting car with scooter

Former NHL agitator Sean Avery was found guilty of criminal mischief on Thursday.

Judge Marisol Martinez-Alonso served the 42-year-old the verdict following a two-day bench trial in Manhattan Criminal Court.

Avery was charged for violently smashing his scooter into the door of a minivan while riding in a bike lane in Greenwich Village all the way back in February 2019. He testified Thursday that he was “just trying to avoid hitting” the car, according to the New York Post. “It was somewhere in front of me. As I was braking I was moving in a straight direction."

After berating the passengers of the car, Avery said he quickly changed his attitude when he realized a child was in the van.

“It was three years ago, I can’t exactly remember whether the vehicle was damaged….As soon as I saw the kids, everything, just you know, changed,” Avery said.

After the retired player and the driver exchanged some heated words – including vulgarities from Avery — there was a sudden boom that, according to the driver, sounded “like a stick of dynamite” going off. Avery left a quarter-sized hole by swinging his scooter into the side door.

Avery also admitted to making fun of the driver’s baldness.

The dramatic retelling of the middle-aged man throwing a temper tantrum and damaging a minivan followed Avery’s own courtroom dramatics back in April. While attending an in-person hearing, Avery made a fool of himself and demanded a trial by jury. After his proposal was refused, he went on to say he would represent himself, prompting his lawyer to leave the courtroom.

By all accounts, the final hearing of his case went much smoother than his attempt at stretching out the minor offense.

Since hanging up his skates in 2012, Avery has pursued careers in acting, modelling, and other attempts at fame beyond hockey. He appeared in 580 NHL games for four different teams.

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