(WJET/WFXP/YourErie.com) — Two former college athletes charged with pushing a wheelchair down the stairs of an Erie bar could have their charges dismissed and records expunged if they complete a program for first-time, nonviolent offenders.
On Tuesday in court, a judge approved applications from 24-year-old Carson Briere, son of ex-Sabres star and current Philadelphia Flyers general manager Danny Briere, and 22-year-old Patrick Carrozzi for the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD).
Briere and Carrozzi also received 15 months probation for the incident at Sullivan's Pub that sparked a public outcry.
Briere apologized publicly in March after footage from the pub’s surveillance camera showed him pushing a wheelchair belonging to paraplegic Sydney Benes down a staircase while she was in the bathroom.
That incident was captured on surveillance video and went viral after it was released.
Briere, a third-year hockey player at Mercyhurst University at the time of the incident, was suspended and later dismissed by the team. Carrozzi was a senior member of the Roman Catholic university's lacrosse team.
Both Briere and Carrozzi apologized to Benes, who lost her legs in an automobile accident in 2021, on Tuesday in court.
