Artem Chigvintsev and Nikki Garcia Each Granted Restraining Orders Against Each Other
Nikki Garcia was granted a restraining order against Artem Chigvintsev, and he has also obtained one against her - telling a different version of events. https://t.co/FOqB9Qg3wa
- ExtraTV (@extratv) October 4, 2024
Nikki Garcia and Artem Chigvintsev are each claiming the other was the aggressor in a violent altercation that led to Chigvintsev's arrest on Aug 29. Both took their ongoing disagreement to the courts in two separate requests for domestic violence restraining orders - one against him and one against her - filed this week Napa Valley, California.
[TW: Click Once More]In her petition, Nikki says Artem "tackled me multiple times and pinned me to the ground while our child was present." She claims since Artem was cut from "Dancing with the Stars," he grew "increasingly angry, snapping at me, and yelling." She said they had discussions about his need to control his anger, adding on the morning of the incident, Artem went off on Nikki over how their 4-year-old son's English muffin should be toasted, screaming that she made their son a "picky eater."
Nikki says she was so overwhelmed by Artem yelling at her, she threw Matteo's toddler-sized 7 shoes toward Artem. She says the shoes hit his leg, but were so light they couldn't have hurt him. She says Artem grabbed Matteo and ran with him upstairs, as the boy screamed, "Mommy! Mommy!"
She says as she tried to get in the room, Artem opened the door and tackled her to the ground outside Matteo's room. She says he grabbed her arms and held her on the ground for what felt like 30 seconds.
She claims Artem then went back into Matteo's room and closed the door -- and she says she again tried to push open the door, and he then opened it and pushed her across the hall into the couple's bedroom, forcing her to the floor in their bathroom. She says he had his hands on her chest near her sternum, pressing down -- she says she felt like she was suffocating -- and she says she grabbed at his neck in an attempt to get him off.
Chigvintsev, in his filing, claimed that Garcia appeared stressed due to work. He alleged she "escalated the argument" by questioning how he was packing Matteo's lunchbox and criticizing him for not carrying equal weight of the parental responsibilities, which he said was "absolutely false." When he left the room to "let her cool down" and get Matteo ready to leave, Garcia followed and continued to lob complaints his way. He insisted his "calm" responses drove her crazy until she "completely lost it," screaming "'get the fuck out of my house'" and "forcefully throwing both of Matteo's sneakers at me."
From there, both agree that Chigvintsev took Matteo upstairs. She claimed Matteo was screaming "Mommy! Mommy!" while Chigvintsev said Matteo looked "frightened" by his mother's tone and he was simply trying to "deescalate the situation" as Garcia had allegedly moved from "verbal abuse to physical [abuse]" and wasn't listening to his pleas for her to "to stop and calm down."
According to Artem, he didn’t want Matteo “seeing his mother angry and confrontational in his bedroom,” claiming, “I tried to get her off me and away from the door frame so that Matteo would not witness any further conflict. I cannot stress enough how many times I pleaded with her to stop and calm down. There was a mutual struggle, and both ended up on the ground. At that moment, I knew that nothing I would say would get to her [and] make her calm down. I was hurt and scared of her continuing on. I needed help for her to stop."
Chigvintsev then called 911, claiming that Garcia was verbally abusive to him while he was on the call with dispatch.
Artem also included photos of his alleged injuries to his elbow, finger, and neck.
Chigvintsev insisted that Garcia’s claims were “absolutely false.”
Artem Chigvintsev claims estranged wife Nikki Garcia was the abuser, shows off bloody scratches on arms, neck https://t.co/ZSBfxDxyhG pic.twitter.com/88wAWLpmjp
- Page Six (@PageSix) October 4, 2024
[TW: Click Once More]Representatives for Garcia shared a statement. “Due to the incident that led to Artem’s arrest on August 29, 2024, Nikki has decided to file for a temporary Domestic Violence Restraining Order to protect herself and her son. Although Nikki requested that the Napa District Attorney not file charges against Artem as she did not want him to go to jail, he must still be held accountable for his actions, and Nikki and her son must be protected."
The statement continued, "Nikki’s number one priority has always been the wellbeing of her son. She is thankful for all of the love and support she has received and continues to ask for privacy for her and her family during this difficult time.”
Meanwhile Ilona Antonyan, Chigvintsev's lawyer, issued a statement: “It is crucial to consider the motivations of both parties in this situation," said Antonyan. "Mr. Chigvintsev contacted law enforcement on [Aug. 29.] seeking protection from his wife’s persistent aggression. While he was on the phone with the police, Ms. Garcia-Colace made a pointed statement, saying, 'Do you understand where this is going now, Artem? You just ruined my career, and you know it.' That day, someone was going to be arrested, and it wouldn’t have been Mr. Chigvintsev if Ms. Garcia Colace had told the truth."
"He denies ever tackling her," Antonyan added. "He was shocked to learn two weeks after the incident that she made this allegation against him; at that point it made sense to him why he was arrested. As a result of wife’s self-serving statement, Mr. Chigvintsev’s career suffered, with numerous opportunities being canceled due to these false allegations. He was not the primary aggressor."
Sources: 1 | 2