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FBI Case Bedeviled Knievel

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The Associated Press

Published: October 7, 2008

MIAMI - Evel Knievel never denied his scrapes with the law - the late motorcycle daredevil often reveled in them. But even he objected to a 1970s FBI investigation of whether he was involved in a string of beatings.

According to documents obtained by The Associated Press, the federal government came close to charging Knievel, who in turn threatened to sue the FBI for alleging he was connected to a crime syndicate. Neither followed through.

Knievel, who died in November in Clearwater, repeatedly denied his involvement to both investigators and victims.

"Knievel stated that he was not responsible for what just happened to name redacted and that he had no control over the 'thing'," according to one phone conversation recounted in an FBI interview.

His most well-known run-in with the law was a 1977 attack on movie studio executive Shelly Saltman, whom the daredevil beat with a baseball bat in the parking lot of 20th Century Fox.

Knievel's file shows investigators thought he was involved with other violent acts - an attack in a Kansas City hotel room and a vicious beating in San Francisco. All were allegedly carried out by Knievel associates, according to subjects quoted in the file.

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