EXCLUSIVE: Von Dutch co-founder Bobby Vaughn is arrested by armed cops at girlfriend Libbie Mugrabi’s $9.1M NYC townhouse after ‘barricading himself in a bedroom’ – as she accuses ‘brutal’ officers of making her leave house in her UNDERWEAR
Fashion designer Libbie Mugrabi was forced to call the police after her boyfriend Bobby Vaughn barricaded them inside her luxury Upper East Side townhouse.
Vaughn, 48, was arrested on suspicion of assault after a 30-minute standoff at the $9.1 million brownstone townhouse on posh Madison Avenue Sunday.
Mugrabi told DailyMail.com that her boyfriend had locked himself in her bedroom and would not open the door. She said she did not want to press charges.
“The police were completely brutal,” she said. ‘They asked me to go outside in my underwear. They didn’t let me in my bedroom to get my clothes. There were 11 cops in my room and I couldn’t talk to him.
‘I told them everything was fine and it was an accident. He grabbed my phone and I bit my lip. I did not know what to do. I never thought they would arrest him. It’s a false arrest.’
The founder of the iconic Von Dutch fashion label was handcuffed as he left the 19th Precinct after a 911 call at 9 p.m.
Vaughn was arrested by the police on Sunday evening after the siege at Mugrabi’s house
The photo, matching his and her sunglasses, was posted by L’Scher boss Libbie Mugrabi, 43, in July to announce her relationship with Von Dutch founder Bobby Vaughn.
Heavily armed policemen with rifles and shields stormed the house and led Vaughn away in handcuffs. He wore signature diamond Louis Vuitton dark sunglasses and a black t-shirt.
Police confirmed that Vaughn had been charged with assault, adding: ‘Upon arrival, officers observed a 43-year-old female with a laceration to her face.
A preliminary investigation determined that the female victim and a 48-year-old male individual were involved in a dispute inside the residence when the individual pushed the victim, causing the victim’s cell phone in her hand to hit her face .
‘The individual then barricaded himself in a third floor bedroom for approximately 30 minutes before surrendering to officers without incident.
‘The man was arrested at the scene. The victim suffered a minor lip injury and refused medical attention at the scene. The investigation continues.’
He is expected to appear in court on Monday morning.
Vaughn went public about his relationship with L’Scher boss Mugrabi, 43, when she posted a loved-up photo of them wearing matching diamond-encrusted sunglasses in July.
“We’re the new power couple, we’re going to be bigger than Posh and Becks,” Libbie exclusively told DailyMail.com at the time.
Heavily armed police were deployed to the home on New York’s East 67th Street at 9 p.m.
Vaughn appeared emotionless when he was arrested after surrendering to police
He was arrested by police from the NYPD’s 19th Precinct
Dennis Rodman, Paris Hilton and Hillary Duff were among those who wore Vaughn’s label during its fashion heyday in the early 2000s.
But he lost his stake in the company by 2005 when he was arrested for shooting and killing his friend Mark Rivas in a drunken fight during which Rivas slashed his neck with a broken bottle.
On the Hulu show ‘The Curse of Von Dutch,’ he admitted to shooting up his friend and business partner Vaughn’s home in Venice Beach in 2005 in a dispute over a girlfriend.
Vaughn was charged with first-degree murder, but was acquitted after a jury ruled the friends’ deaths were justifiable homicides.
He recently advised Mugrabi on her fashion line following her messy $100 million divorce from art mogul ex-husband David Mugrabi in 2020.
David and Libbie fought over a $72 million Manhattan townhouse, his family’s art collection estimated to be worth $5 billion, and their home in the Hamptons.
Despite the tumultuous split, her ex-husband David posed in a Von Dutch shirt following the news of Libbie’s new man – who seemingly gave his blessing.
Earlier this summer, Libbie was accused of failing to pay her staff minimum wage.
Police said they were called to the brownstone townhouse on New York’s Upper East Side at 9 p.m.
Police with guns and shields were among those who took part in the 45-minute standoff
Vaughn and Mugrabi looked in love when they shared intimate photos earlier this summer
Vaughn’s Von Dutch fashion label was one of the world’s most recognizable brands during its early heyday with clients such as Dennis Rodman, Paris Hilton and Hillary Duff
In the pending civil court case, the plaintiffs claim that Mugrabi failed to pay them minimum wage when they were employed by Libbie as domestic helpers.
According to the Manhattan Supreme Court filing, Libbie, 43, owes $17,912 in damages, along with about $3,200 in interest and $19,912 in civil penalties.
Libbie told DailyMail.com: ‘They keep dropping this maid suit at my houses.
“They’re really going for it,” she said, referring to a previous case in which housekeeper Janneth Gonzalez Duarte sued Libbie, after she accused her of “violently assaulting” her at Libbie’s Hamptons mansion in July 2022 .
Duarte told the court Libbie broke her cell phone and threatened her with a knife and a mop handle.
Earlier this year, Libbie showed up in Manhattan Family Court in a $25,000 bulletproof vest to get a retraining order against ex-husband David Mugrabi, who Libbie says hired a Russian hitman to kill her.
Libbie and Vaughn met when she took him to her Hamptons residence to advise her on her fashion brand, L’Scher.
Over the course of the month, she said they developed feelings for each other and became not only partners in business, but also in love.
A friend told DailyMail.com at the time that Libbie had completely softened: ‘She’s so happy with Bobby, he’s a great guy, he’s put a spring in her step.’
Friends claimed they hadn’t seen Libbie this happy since her divorce from David.