DWTS pro Artem Chigvintsev was arrested for domestic violence after police saw ‘traumatic’ physical damage to victim after 911 call

Officials with the Napa County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to Ny Breaking.com on Thursday the arrest of longtime Dancing With the Stars star Artem Chigvintsev, saying officers saw clear physical evidence of domestic violence before taking the ABC star into custody.

Chigvintsev, 42, was arrested Thursday morning in Yountville, California, in connection with a suspected domestic violence incident by department officers, Wofford told Ny Breaking.com on Thursday.

“When it comes to domestic violence, it’s not based on hearsay,” Napa County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Henry Wofford told Ny Breaking.com on Thursday. “The officers saw something that was clear.”

Wofford explained, “I’m not telling you that’s what happened in this particular case, but sometimes there were traces of blood, sometimes there were scratches, sometimes there were bruises — they were visible marks that made the officers say, ‘Okay, we’re going to make this arrest.'”

Officers spoke to Chigvintsev and arrested him for domestic violence, Wofford told Ny Breaking.com on Thursday, adding that the dance pro was “cooperative” and “didn’t fight with our officers or anything like that.”

Chigvintsev was photographed last year taking part in the show with a celebrity partner

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.

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] bodily injury resulting in a traumatic condition’ against a ‘spouse or ex-spouse’; ‘cohabitant or ex-cohabitee’; ‘fiancé’; ‘someone with whom the offender has or has had an engagement or relationship’; or ‘the mother or father of the offender’s child’.

Wofford told Ny Breaking.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 night, Wofford told Ny Breaking.com on Thursday.

Wofford told Ny Breaking.com on Thursday that only one other person was involved in the incident. However, 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.

Chigvintsev posted bail around 2:15 p.m. and was no longer in custody Thursday night, authorities told Ny Breaking.com. Pictured in 2020

Chigvintsev has been on the ABC ballroom competition for 13 seasons; pictured last fall

“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 Ny Breaking.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.

“We want the victim to know that we want to hear their story, and if we need to investigate whether this is an isolated incident or an ongoing incident, we’re happy to do that,” Wofford said. “We’re going to do everything we can to protect our community.”

According to Wofford, no information is yet available on when Chigvintsev will appear in court.

Three days ago, Chigvintsev celebrated his second wedding anniversary with his 40-year-old wife Nikki Garcia, who previously wrestled in WWE under the name Nikki Bella. The couple became parents of a three-year-old son Matteo.

The two first met in 2017, when they worked together on the 25th season of Dancing With the Stars.

Chigvintsev has had relationships with other celebrities in the past. He was married to dancer Giselle Peacock, 43, from 2004 to 2005, and to DWTS judge Carrie Ann Inaba, 56, from 2006 to 2008.

Chigvintsev celebrated his second wedding anniversary with wife Nikki Garcia, 40 – who previously wrestled in WWE under the name Nikki Bella – three days ago. Pictured in NYC in 2023

The two first crossed paths in 2017, when they were paired on the 25th season of Dancing With the Stars. Pictured in LA in October 2017

Garcia was previously engaged to WWE star/actor John Cena, 47, but the relationship ended in July 2018.

Chigvintsev appeared in a total of 111 episodes of Dancing with the Stars between 2009 and 2023. For his work on the series, he was nominated for an Emmy in 2021 in the category Outstanding Choreography for Variety or Reality Programming.

An insider told Page Six Thursday that “there were no plans for Artem to be part of Season 33.”

He was born in Izhevsk, Russia and moved to the United States in 2003. Chigvintsev appeared in the series So You Think You Can Dance in 2006 and then appeared in the British version of Strictly Come Dancing from 2010 to 2013.

If you or someone you know is experiencing any of the issues discussed in this story, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or text START to 88788.