Dancing with the Stars pro dancer Artem Chigvintsev was arrested earlier this week on a domestic battery charge. Since the news broke on Thursday, new details have emerged about the situation.
New Details Emerge About Artem Chigvintsev’s Arrest
On Thursday, it was reported that Chigvintsev had been arrested that morning in Napa, California, on a felony domestic violence charge. Chigvintsev is married to his former DWTS partner Nikki Garcia, and they share a 4-year-old son. However, the alleged victim has not been named.
TMZ later reported that a 911 call was made on Thursday morning reporting a “medical emergency” at Chigvintsev’s home. In another 911 call, the request was canceled, leading paramedics and the fire department to return to their stations.
A later report from TMZ confirms that it was Chigvintsev himself who called 911 after allegedly battering someone at his home. He later called to cancel the request, but police were still required to visit the home. They reportedly observed injuries on the alleged victim, which led to Chigvintsev’s arrest.
The dancer was booked on a charge of felony corporal injury to a spouse or cohabitant. He was released later that day on $25,000 bail. Garcia’s rep told TMZ, “This is a private matter, and Nikki asks for privacy for her and her family at this time.”
SEE ALSO: ARTEM CHIGVINTSEV WANTS HIS, NIKKI GARCIA’S SON TO CONTINUE HIS ‘DWTS’ LEGACY
The Dancer’s Past Controversies Have Resurfaced
Since news broke of Chigvintsev’s arrest, past incidents have resurfaced. For example, People points out that his former celebrity partner on Strictly Come Dancing, Fern Britton, accused him of kicking and shoving her during their time on the show.
“We would be in hold and he would look at my feet and just kick me or shove me,” Britton told The Huffington Post UK in 2015. She imitated things he would allegedly say to her, including, “Shut your face. Go home before I kill you.”
In 2012, the Mirror published quotes from Chigvintsev’s ex-wife, fellow dancer Giselle Peacock, who said that he “became more and more obsessed with fame, success and money” before he “literally disappeared out of my life” and allegedly left her to “pay his outstanding bills and cancel dance lessons he had scheduled with his students.”
Variety reports that Chigvintsev was not set to return to DWTS as a pro for Season 33. A source told TMZ the dancer was in a bad mood this week over not being invited back to the show.
