DWTS pro Artem Chigvintsev claimed wife Nikki Garcia ‘threw shoes at him’ in 911 call during alleged domestic violence incident
Artem Chigvintsev claimed his wife, Nikki Garcia, “threw shoes at him” when he called 911 on Thursday during the alleged domestic violence incident.
The 42-year-old Dancing With The Stars dancer was arrested Thursday in Napa, California, on suspicion of domestic violence. He was released from jail later that afternoon after his bail was set at $25,000.
The Russian-born dancer was arrested after police saw “traumatic” physical damage to a victim. Garcia was also in Napa at the time of the alleged altercation, but details about the alleged victim are not yet known.
According to a radio report obtained by TMZ On Friday, Artem called 911 to seek medical attention, but he also claimed that Nikki threw shoes at him during the alleged incident.
‘Initially he came in with a request for medical help, but now he states that he got into an argument with his wife and her wife threw shoes at him [reporting party]’, the operator said in the conversation, according to the medium.
Artem Chigvintsev, 42, claimed his wife, Nikki Garcia, 40, ‘threw shoes at him’ when he called 911 on Thursday amid the alleged domestic violence incident; seen in 2020
The dispatcher also said, “There is a child on scene. Medical en route. There is an active 415 [disturbing the peace] responsible in the background.’
Artem and Nikki married in August 2022 and welcomed their four-year-old son Matteo in 2020.
The professional dancer reportedly called 911 on Thursday after an alleged domestic violence incident, but left the scene minutes later. TMZ was also reported on Friday.
Afterwards, the operator said over the radio: ‘RP indicates that no medical assistance is required at this time.’
Sources told the newspaper that the alleged victim did not call 911 herself, but that Chigvintsev did so around 8:30 a.m. because of alleged injuries to the victim.
However, the officers were on the scene when the professional dancer called 911 again, but they took back his earlier words.
According to protocol, the police remain on site, but the fire brigade and ambulance service were called back after arriving on the scene.
When police arrived at the scene at 9:30 a.m., an hour after the first report was made, Artem was arrested.
According to a radio report obtained by TMZ on Friday, Artem called 911 to request medical attention, but he also claimed Nikki threw shoes at him during the alleged incident; seen in Santa Monica in 2019
The Russian-born dancer was arrested after police saw “traumatic” physical injuries on a victim; above is a photo taken Thursday
Nikki Garcia’s rep told TMZ on Friday, when the former WWE wrestler broke her silence on the alleged incident, “This is a private matter and Nikki requests privacy for her and her family at this time.”
Officials with the Napa County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the arrest to DailyMail.com, noting that officers saw clear physical evidence of domestic violence.
“When it comes to domestic violence, it’s not based on hearsay,” Napa County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Henry Wofford told Dailymail.com on Thursday. “The officers saw something that was clear.”
Wofford explained, “I’m not telling you that this is what happened in this particular case, but sometimes there was blood, sometimes there was scratches, sometimes there was bruising.”
“It’s something visible, where the officers said, ‘Okay, we’re going to make this arrest.’”
Officers spoke to Chigvintsev and arrested him for domestic violence, Wofford told Dailymail.com on Thursday, adding that the dance pro was “cooperative” and “didn’t fight with our officers or anything like that.”
An alarm was triggered at the home by a 911 call made from the property around 8:30 a.m., sources close to the investigation said. TMZ on Thursday after an unknown caller reported a “medical emergency” at the property.
‘Initially he came in with a request for medical help, but now he states that he got into an argument with his wife and her wife threw shoes at him [reporting party]’, the operator said in the conversation, according to the news agency
Sources told the newspaper that “emergency services and the fire department were on their way, and someone from the house called 911 again to cancel the request.” Both agencies then returned to their stations.
According to the Napa County Arrest Databasethe specific state penal code applies to suspects who ‘intentionally [inflict] physical injury resulting in a traumatic condition’ for a ‘spouse or ex-spouse.’
‘Cohabitant or former cohabitant;’ ‘fiancé or engaged;’ ‘someone with whom the perpetrator has or has had an engagement or relationship;’ or ‘the mother or father of the perpetrator’s child.’
Wofford told Dailymail.com on Thursday that Chigvintsev was booked into the Napa County Jail at 10:40 a.m., and his bail was set at $25,000.
Chigvintsev posted his bail around 2:15 p.m. and was no longer in custody Thursday evening, Wofford said.
Wofford told Dailymail.com that only one other person was involved in the incident, but he declined to identify the victim or provide details, despite their request.
Wofford said he was not aware of any protective orders filed by the victim or on their behalf by authorities as of Thursday evening.
“We’re going to take our time, as we do with every domestic violence case,” Wofford said. “No one gets preferential treatment and no one gets overlooked.”
Nikki Garcia’s rep also told TMZ on Friday, “This is a private matter and Nikki requests privacy for her and her family at this time”; seen in LA in 2021
“When it comes to victims of domestic violence, it is often the case that male and female victims are not fully prepared to tell the full story immediately after the incident. So we are not going to rush this… and we are also being patient.”
Wofford told Dailymail.com that the department was focused on providing “a support system for the victim.”
Wofford said an investigation is underway into whether Chigvintsev violated any laws in his conduct leading up to his arrest on Thursday.
Amid Artem’s arrest, a source said Page Six Thursday that he will not return as a professional dancer in the upcoming season 33 of Dancing With The Stars.
Amid Artem’s arrest, a source told Page Six on Thursday that he will not return as a professional dancer on the upcoming season 33 of Dancing With The Stars
His arrest came just three days after he and his wife Nikki Garcia celebrated their second wedding anniversary
“There were no plans for Artem to be a part of Season 3,” the insider revealed to the outlet.
His arrest came just three days after he and his wife Nikki Garcia celebrated their second wedding anniversary.
The two first met in 2017, when they starred together on the 25th season of Dancing With The Stars, but were eliminated in the sixth week.
In July 2020, Nikki and Artem welcomed their son Matteo, four. And two years later, the couple tied the knot in a romantic ceremony in Paris in August 2022, after several attempts to postpone the wedding.