Former New York Knick Chris Copeland was knifed in the gut outside celeb hotspot 1OAK in Chelsea on Wednesday when he said, “F–k off” to a stranger who tried to intervene in an argument the hoopster was having with a female friend, sources said.
Copeland’s girlfriend, Katrine Saltara, and a second woman were also slashed during the 4 a.m. mayhem, which occurred down the block from the club on West 17th Street, according to law-enforcement sources.
Shevoy Bleary-Murdock — who had been listening in as the couple argued — allegedly whipped out an illegal, black-handled switchblade and went “wild” when Copeland, 31, angrily objected to his eavesdropping, the sources said.
“The couple really starts to fight and the perp intervenes, trying to separate them,” one source said.
“That’s when the NBA player turns to the perp and yells, ‘What are you looking at? F–k off!’ That was it. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Saltara, 28, can be seen tending to Copeland, 31, as he sits bleeding on a sidewalk, surrounded by cops and onlookers, in a cellphone video posted on TMZ. “We got attacked out of nowhere by a motherf–king black civilian!” she screamed. “ We are scared for our lives.”
Copeland’s driver then sprang to action and put Bleary-Murdock into a half-nelson hold to immobilize his right arm. “I didn’t want to let go of him, because I knew he would come after me next,” the driver told The Post. “I’m just glad that Chris survived.”
The 6-foot-8 forward, who now plays for the Indiana Pacers, was in town for Wednesday’s game against the Knicks.
He arrived at the club at 3:35 a.m. and hit the bar with hip-hop artist Busta Rhymes before getting into an argument with his girlfriend.
As Saltara stalked off, Copeland followed her and she then slapped him across the face, a source said.
In addition to Bleary-Murdock, 22, of Brooklyn, two pro basketball players who had been partying at 1OAK with Copeland — Atlanta Hawks Pero Antic, 32, and Thabo Sefolosha, 30 — were busted for allegedly interfering with cops investigating the stabbing.
Bleary-Murdock hung his head and remained mum Wednesday afternoon as he was taken from the 10th Precinct headquarters for arraignment on assault and weapons charges.
His mom, Julie Bleary, told The Post that her son “just came home from the Army a few months ago.”
“He’s very family-oriented. He goes to church every Sunday,” she said.
Law-enforcement sources said everyone involved in the incident — including second female victim Catherine Somani, 53, of Windermere, Fla. — had been partying inside 1OAK.
Pacers coach Frank Vogel — whose team beat the Knicks on Wednesday night, 102-86 — said Copeland had surgery on his abdomen and elbow.
Saltara was slashed on her right elbow, under her right breast and on her right buttock, while Somani was slashed across her abdomen, sources said. None of the wounds was life-threatening.
1OAK has been the scene of several celebrity scandals, including a 2008 incident in which Lindsay Lohan was accused of stealing a Columbia student’s fur coat.
Additional reporting by Kevin Fasick, Larry Celona and Lorena Mongelli