Formal charges are coming for Raja Jackson after the son of legendary UFC fighter Quinton “Rampage” Jackson assaulted a professional wrestler at a show in Los Angeles in August.
Prosecutors intend to charge Jackson with a one count of felony battery that caused serious bodily injury and one count of misdemeanor battery after he slammed Stuart Smith (ring name Syko Stu) to the ground and proceeded to viciously punch him more than 20 times. Many of the punches came after Smith was seemingly unconscious.
The L.A. Times initially reported the news with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office expected to file a formal criminal complaint against Jackson on Tuesday.
In addition to the felony and misdemeanor charge, prosecutors also expected to seek a “sentencing enhancement” based on Smith suffering great bodily injury, which could lead to stiffer penalties if Jackson is convicted.
The attack left Smith with several broken teeth and a laceration to his head to put him in the hospital for several days.
Originally planned as a staged appearance for Jackson at the Knockx event in Los Angeles, the 25-year-old fighter actually assaulted Smith after they got into an altercation earlier in the day. Smith had hit Jackson with a beer can prior to the event believing he was another pro wrestler involved to help hype the show but video captured showed him apologizing and the two shook hands after the incident.
Before jumping into the ring, Jackson vented his anger about the entire situation on a live stream and claimed he was going to get his revenge “for real” during the match.
Family members posted an update on Smith after his release and revealed that he suffered trauma to both the upper and lower jaws, a laceration to his upper lip and a fracture to the maxilla bone, which is what caused him to lose several teeth from the assault.
Los Angeles Police opened an investigation and Jackson was eventually charged and arrested in September where he was detained until posting $50,000 bond.
Based on sentencing guidelines for felony assault, Jackson could potentially face up to four years in prison with the misdemeanor potentially adding up to another year if convicted. The special sentencing enhancements could possibly increase the amount of prison time Jackson potentially faces if he’s found guilty.
