San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman was arrested early Sunday on suspicion of choking and restraining MTV reality show star Tila Tequila, police said.
Authorities responded to a disturbance call about 3:45 a.m. Sunday from a woman who said she had been choked and restrained by a male, the sheriff’s department of San Diego County, California, said in a statement. When police arrived, “the reporting party identified herself as Tila Nguyen, aka Tila Tequila, and her alleged assailant as Shawne Merriman,” the statement said. “Nguyen told deputies she had been choked and physically restrained by Merriman when she attempted to leave his residence,” the statement said. Nguyen signed a citizen’s arrest at the scene, and Merriman was taken into custody on suspicion of battery and false imprisonment, according to the statement. Nguyen was transported to a local hospital. Her condition was not immediately known. As Tila Tequila, Nguyen starred on the MTV reality shows “A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila” in 2007 and “A Shot at Love 2 With Tila Tequila” in 2008. On her Twitter account, Nguyen did not mention the incident but tweeted about going to meet Merriman on Saturday. Merriman is entering his fifth year with the Chargers. The team begins its 2009 NFL regular-season campaign on September 14 in Oakland, California, for a game against the Raiders.
