Ex-Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias charged in domestic violence case

Former Dodgers pitcher Julio Urías has been charged with five misdemeanor counts stemming from his arrest on suspicion of domestic violence last September outside BMO Stadium in Exposition Park.

Urías, 27, is set to be arraigned May 2 in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom on two counts of domestic battery and one count each of injuring a spouse/cohabitant/fiance/date/child’s parent, assault and false imprisonment, according to court records.

The charges were filed just under three months after the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office declined to file a felony case against Urías and instead referred the matter to the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office for consideration of whether a misdemeanor case was warranted.

Urías, who became a free agent at the end of the 2023 season, was arrested Sept. 3 by police in Exposition Park following a much-publicized soccer match between LAFC and Inter Miami — featuring star Lionel Messi — at BMO Stadium. He was released the next morning on $50,000 bond.

According to a District Attorney’s Office charge evaluation worksheet in January, the alleged victim in the case was Urías’ wife, who was not identified.

“They engaged in an argument whereby the defendant pushed the victim against a fence and pulled her by the hair or shoulders,” according to the document. “Neither the victim’s injuries nor the defendant’s criminal history justify a felony filing. The case is accordingly referred to the city attorney for misdemeanor filing consideration.”

Urías was placed on administrative leave by Major League Baseball days after his arrest, and the Dodgers issued a statement saying the team was cooperating fully with the investigation.

“The Dodgers take all allegations of the kind in this case very seriously, and we do not condone or excuse any acts of domestic violence,” the team said.

Urías was 11-8 during the 2023 season with a 4.60 earned-run average. He began his Major League Baseball career with the Dodgers in 2016, and has a lifetime record of 60-25 with a 3.11 ERA.

He was suspended for 20 games in 2019 by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred for an incident in the parking lot of the Beverly Center on May 13 of that year. TMZ reported that a witness called police saying that Urías was arguing with a woman and shoved her to the ground. Officers responded to the scene and spoke with the woman, who denied anything physical took place, insisting it was nothing more than a heated argument.

Urías was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic battery in that incident, but no charges were filed.

Source: Orange County Register