S.F. Courtroom Packed : Canseco Pleads Innocent to Two Weapons Charges

Injured Oakland Athletics superstar Jose Canseco pleaded innocent to a pair of weapons charges today before a packed courtroom filled with fans, city office workers and celebrity watchers.

Canseco, dressed in a beige suit, quietly answered Judge David A. Garcia, who released the American League slugger on his own recognizance over the protest of the district attorney’s office. The judge ordered a June 8 preliminary hearing on the charges.

The judge drew chuckles from the gallery with his comments that Canseco should not have any problem making any future court appearances despite the fact that “I understand he occasionally is out of this jurisdiction for business reasons. I have heard he’s even been as far away as Toronto on occasion.”

Canseco was arrested April 21 by UC San Francisco campus police after a passer-by saw a pistol on the floor of his cherry-red Jaguar in the medical center parking lot. Canseco was at the facility having his injured wrist X-rayed.

Robert Shapiro, Canseco’s Los Angeles-based attorney, said his client was carrying the gun because of telephone threats to Canseco and his wife. He said Canseco also did not know he was on a university campus at the time of the arrest.

“He has been getting threatening phone calls for two to three weeks,” Shapiro said. “People are calling, breathing heavily, using obscene language and saying other things. This happens to people who are in the light as Mr. Canseco is, and he’s scared.”

Canseco, who signed autographs while awaiting his turn in court, was greeted by cheers and clapping as he left the courtroom. However, he did not speak to reporters because his attorney claimed the A’s slugger had a wisdom tooth removed Wednesday night and had not slept.

Shapiro said the 1988 American League MVP is very much distressed by the case.

“He wants it to be resolved as quickly as possible,” Shapiro said. “He wants his public image to be as good as his image on the baseball field.”