The first major trade of the Major League Baseball off-season has hit a major snag.
The Cincinnati Reds had an agreement to send All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman to the Los Angeles Dodgers for two major prospects in order to rebuild the franchise.
However the deal was place on hold after it was discover that the reason for the delay was a pending domestic violence charge involving the pitcher and his girlfriend.
ICYMI – Police report: Aroldis Chapman allegedly fired 8 gunshots, ‘choked’ girlfriend. https://t.co/vJczwkRQNZ via @JeffPassan @TBrownYahoo
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) December 8, 2015
According to the report, the incident took place near midnight on Oct. 30 at Chapman’s home in Davie, Florida. A dozen officers were involved, though the police report states that no arrests were made “due to conflicting stories and a lack of cooperation from all parties involved.” No charges have been filed.
In the report, Chapman’s girlfriend told police, she went into a bathroom of Chapman’s 10,000-square-foot-plus house and “found something in his phone that she did not like.” Chapman’s girlfriend told police, that he took the phone from her and “pushed her against the wall,” and alleged “that Chapman had ‘choked’ her by placing his hands around her neck, but did not prevent her from breathing at any time.” Police did not observe “injuries or even redness anywhere on her neck or chest,” the report said.
In Chapman’s version of the story, he told police he used his index and middle fingers and “poked his girlfriend on the left shoulder and told her not to talk to him like that,”. He said his girlfriend fell to floor and started yelling. The pitcher told police the girlfriend’s brother came into the room and pushed Chapman to the ground. Friends and family, Chapman told police, separated the two so they wouldn’t fight.
As bad as the domestic violence seems, it won’t be the only issue Chapman will have to deal with.
Chapman also admitted to firing eight shots with a handgun, seven of which went into a concrete wall inside his garage and the eighth of which went through a window into an open field, following a party with friends and family, according to the police report.
No word yet of any punishment for the flame-thrower; however it seems they will follow with their new domestic violence policy they set in places after the outrage of the Ray Rice situation.
