Last Sunday, the linebacker of San Diego Chargers, Shawne Merriman, was accused and arrested for choking as well as restraining his partner, Tila Tequila, when she attempted to leave Merriman’s suburban home.
According to Lt. Gary Steadman of the San Diego County Sheriff, the 27-year-old Tila Tequila signed the citizen’s arrest warrant accusing Merriman of false imprisonment and battery.
Jan Caldwell, spokesman of the Sheriff’s Department, said at a news conference that around 3:45 a.m., the deputies arrived at Merriman’s residence in Porway after receiving a call from a woman saying she was being choked and prevented from leaving by the player, who threw her to the ground.
The 25-year-old Merriman was arrested and booked in jail at about 8:30 a.m. He was then shortly released at 11 a.m. According to Caldwell, she wasn’t sure if he was released after posting a bail or on his own recognisance.
Tila Tequila was then sent to the hospital.
Tequila, born as Tila Nguyen, is famous for her ‘A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila’ which was a bisexual dating show on MTV. The show featured men and woman competing for her affections. She also posed for ‘Playboy’ magazine and other magazines for men.
Tequila’s attorney, Scott E. Leemon, stated that they would not be giving comments about the incident publicly.
According to Tom Condon, Merriman’s agent, he had not heard about the accusation and the arrest when the ‘Associated Press’ called him.
A.J. Smith, the general manager of the Chargers stated, “It’s disappointing to hear about the issue involving Shawne Merriman. We’ll continue to monitor the situation and let the legal process run its course.”
Smith did not return calls to give additional comments about the issue.
