Charges Dropped In Shaquille O'Neal-Linked Kidnapping Case

A California judge has dropped kidnapping and assault charges that were linked to NBA star Shaquille O'Neal, The Los Angeles Times reports. The ruling came after the prosecution said there were problems with the credibility of the alleged victim, music producer Robert Ross, who claimed to have been abducted and pistol-whipped by seven gang members in 2008 in connection with a sex tape of O'Neal he claimed to possess.

"We do not have the necessary confidence in the credibility of Mr. Ross to proceed in this case,” Deputy District Attorney Hoon Chun said, moments before seven defense attorneys were awarded a dismissal of charges. Ross, a former gang member, had tried to bargain with O'Neal for money in exchange for a non-existent sex tape before the alleged kidnapping took place. Ross earlier testified that seven gang members with guns cornered him at a convenience store on the Sunset strip and took him to a house in South Central L.A., where they assaulted him and demanded the tape.

O'Neal was not named in the criminal complaint, but Ross has filed a civil suit against the former Lakers star, who recently announced his retirement from basketball. Ross' lawsuit against O'Neal and his business partner Mark Stevens alleges the two were behind the attack.