Chargers LB Merriman arrested for choking Tila Tequila

SAN DIEGO (AP) — San Diego Chargers star outside linebacker Shawne Merriman was arrested Sunday and accused of choking and restraining his girlfriend, reality TV star Tila Tequila, as she tried to leave his suburban home.

Tequila, 27, signed a citizen's arrest warrant, charging Merriman with battery and false imprisonment, San Diego County Sheriff's Lt. Gary Steadman said.

Deputies responded about 3:45 a.m. to Merriman's house in Poway, north of San Diego, after a woman called to say she was choked by the player and thrown to the ground when she tried to leave, Sheriff's Department spokesman Jan Caldwell said at a news conference.

Merriman, 25, was taken into custody and booked into the central jail at about 8:30 a.m. He was released shortly after 11 a.m. Caldwell said she didn't know if he posted bail or was released on his own recognizance.

Tequila was taken to a hospital. Her condition was not immediately available.

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Note to all the DU Ladies: Stay the FUCK away from Alpha Males in all sizes, shapes and colors.

I can hear the defense now: "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, it's Tila Tequila for goodness sake!"

This is consistent with what I saw on Sportscenter when they showed clips of the Police department's press conference.

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Police responded to a 911 call from Tequila, whose real name is Tila Nguyen. When they arrived, they found Merriman and the woman in the driveway.

"She was pretty adamant that we was going to sign a citizen's arrest. She also wanted to be taken to the hospital by ambulance," said Jan Caldwell, spokeswoman for the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.

Deputies are required to make an arrest when someone signs a citizen's arrest form, as Nguyen did.

There were several other people at the home at the time of the alleged assault, and police have questioned them. Police also said Tequila was intoxicated, but they were unclear whether Merriman had been drinking.

Merriman didn't resist arrest and was cooperative, police said. He was bailed out several hours later. Tequila, who was not seriously injured, was taken to a hospital, examined and released. Caldwell said that deputies did not see any physical injuries on Nguyen.

"That's not to say they weren't there, the deputies just didn't see any," Caldwell said.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-spw-farmer-chargers7-2009sep07,0,5739738.story

Not that I'm saying he's innocent, I'm also not saying he's guilty. That's for the courts to decide.