Artem Chingvintsev, the husband of former WWE star Nikki Garcia, also known as Nikki Bella, was reportedly arrested on August 29, 2024, for felony domestic violence (battery) charges. It was later revealed that Nikki requested legal and physical custody of their son Matteo in divorce documents, after which the Napa County District Attorney declined to file criminal charges against Artem.
In an update on the situation, TMZ.com reports that Nikki filed a restraining order against Artem on Monday, and the judge approved it. The judge has prohibited Artem from contacting or approaching her, their son, their home, and so on, with the only exception being court-ordered child visitation or exchanges.
Nikki stated in a sworn declaration that Artem “tackled me multiple times and pinned me to the ground while our child was present.” TMZ described what Nikki stated.
“She says 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.”
A rep for Nikki stated the following:
“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. 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.”
