Warning: The following post contains allegations of domestic violence.
Dancing with the Stars pro and Artem Chigvintsev and Total Bellas alum Nikki Garcia have reportedly gotten restraining orders against each other, those actions coming after an alleged August 29 incident between the estranged spouses.
The two orders were requested and granted in Napa Valley, California, within days of each other, according to new reports. Garcia filed her request on Monday, September 30, and a judge signed off, per TMZ. And Chigvintsev filed his request on Thursday, October 3, and got it approved the following day, per People.
In her petition, Garcia alleged that Chigvintsev had gotten “increasingly angry” after getting cut from Dancing With the Stars, and that during an argument on the morning of the alleged incident, he tackled her to the ground in front of Matteo, their 4-year-old son, and held her in a way that made her feel like she was suffocating, according to the TMZ report.
In his filing, however, Chigvintsev claimed that Garcia “completely lost it” that morning and moved from verbal abuse to physical abuse, per People. “There was a mutual struggle, and both ended up on the ground,” Chigvintsev said, according to the magazine. “At that moment, I knew that nothing I would say would get to her [and] make her calm down. I was hurt and scared of her continuing on. I needed help for her to stop.”
Chigvintsev called 911, though he was the one arrested on charges of corporal injury to a spouse that day. Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley announced nearly a month later, however, that her office decided not to file criminal charges against Chigvintsev. Garcia filed for divorce on September 11, opting to end her and Chigvintsev’s marriage of two years.
If you or someone you know is the victim of domestic abuse, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.
