Toronto Raptors auction tickets to help accident victim

By Barry Ellsworth

TRENTON, Canada (AA) – The Toronto Raptors are auctioning off a pair of tickets online to game one of their NBA finals Thursday to help an employee whose son is in critical condition following a hit-and-run accident.

As of Wednesday at 9:30 a.m., bidding on the tickets, worth an estimated $4,500, had reached $6,532. The auction ends Thursday at noon, EST.

Four-year-old Radiul Chowdhury was walking with his mother in Toronto’s east end Sunday when he was struck by a motorcycle and the rider fled the scene.

Radiul was rushed to the Hospital for Sick Children, where he remains in critical condition.

Police arrested the alleged rider, Darren Dawson, following an appeal by Radiul’s father, Ruhul, for the motorcyclist to turn himself in.

“I am Muslim and I am trained to forgive people,” Ruhul said. “Just hand over yourself to police, then tell them the truth of what happened.”

Police are still searching for a female passenger who got off the motorcycle and fled the scene on foot. Ruhul also appealed to her to turn herself in.

The Raptors are owned by Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) and the company said it wanted to help Ruhul and his family.

“In addition to MLSE providing support and assistance to the family, all funds raised from the auction will be directly donated to the family to alleviate any additional financial burden so that Radiul’s family can be by his side,” according to a statement on MLSE’s website.

A GoFundMe campaign was also started, and as of 9:30 a.m., it had raised $10,263 toward a target of $20,000.

The Raptors, formed in 1995, have reached the NBA final for the first time and take on the Golden State Warriors Thursday evening in Toronto.