Artem Chigvintsev, the husband of former WWE star Nikki \'Bella\' Garcia was briefly arrested on Thursday in Napa, California on charges of domestic battery.
TMZ broke the story of his arrest noting that a 911 call was made from Chigvintsev\'s home reporting a \'medical emergency\' at around 8:30 AM in the morning. It\'s unknown who made the call.
As paramedics and the fire department were en route, however, someone from the house called 911 again and cancelled the request but did not give a reason. The paramedics and fire department both returned to their stations after this call, never making it to the house.
At 10 AM that morning, the deputies responded to a domestic violence call, at a location in the town of Yountville. The Dancing With The Stars regular was arrested on the spot for felony corporal injury to spouse or cohabitant. In order to make the arrest for a felony, the injury on the victim has to be visible.
BBC News revealed that Chigvintsev had been arrested under section 273.5(a) of the California penal code - corporal injury to spouse. If charged as a felony, it could lead to up to a four-year sentence.
Artem has since been released from jail. People has confirmed that Artem was booked in Napa County Jail within an hour of his arrest. He was given a $25,000 bail and released at 2:18 PM PT according to the county records.
Nikki Garcia and Artem Chigvintsev
Nikki Garcia fka Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev first met when they were paired together on the 25th season of the Dancing With The Stars reality show in 2017.
Garcia was still in a relationship with her then-fiancé John Cena at the time but the couple split up a year later. Bella reconnected with Chigvintsev the same year and they announced their engagement in late 2019.
The couple welcomed their son Matteo in July 2020 and they officially got married in a private ceremony held in Paris in August 2022. The duo own a home together in Napa Valley and Instagram stories indicate Garcia was in Napa on Wednesday, presumably to celebrate their second wedding anniversary.
At the time of this writing, the identity of the alleged victim has not been revealed as they have asked for total confidentiality per sheriff\'s rep.
The Napa County Sheriff\'s Office has said that the alleged victim has so far been open to talking with investigators. They have provided some info as to what happened and law enforcement wants the alleged victim to help determine if there is a history of domestic violence with Artem.
The investigation remains ongoing and there is a possibility of other witnesses in the case. The Sheriff’s Office is also planning to discuss the case with prosecutors, with one of the topics of discussion being potential criminal charges against Artem.
Stay tuned with SEScoops for more details on the story.
You can call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) for Domestic Violence Hotline or text START to 88788. More details about the issues can be found at US Department of Justice website here.
