Raja Jackson pleaded not guilty in court on Thursday after he was hit with a felony battery charge and a misdemeanor battery charge for assaulting a pro wrestler at an event in Los Angeles this past August.
After he was arrested in September and released on $50,000 bail, Jackson—the son of former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jacskon—was back in court for his arraignment after the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office moved forward with the criminal complaint against him. The two charges include sentencing enhancement for allegedly causing “great bodily injury,” which could add an extra three years to a prison sentence.
Based on the charges, Jackson could potentially face seven years in prison if convicted. The 25-year-old is due back in court Nov. 24 for a preliminary hearing setting in his case.
Jackson, a pro fighter, was arrested in September after he assaulted Stuart Smith (ring name Syko Stu) during a Knokx Pro event in Los Angeles where Jackson was scheduled to appear.
The entire altercation unfolded after Jackson was scheduled to interfere in a match, but ultimately went off script when he picked Smith up into the air and slammed him back down to the ground. Jackson then proceeded to unleash more than 20 punches, many of which landed after it appeared that Smith was already unconscious, before other wrestlers were finally able to drag him off.
Smith was admitted to a local hospital where he spent several days in intensive care with 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.
Prior to the in-ring incident, Smith and Jackson were engaged in a separate incident when Smith hit Jackson with a beer can prior, believing Jackson was another pro wrestler involved to help hype the show. Video showed Smith later apologizing and the two shook hands.
Jackson was then seen on a live stream saying he was going to get his revenge “for real” after jumping into the ring for the planned showdown with Smith.
The vicious assault was captured on the live stream, which led to an investigation by Los Angeles police before Jackson was eventually arrested and hit with the two separate charges.
Jackson has not publicly addressed the incident since it happened. He now faces a potential prison sentence if convicted on all charges.
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