Braves’ Ozuna arrested on domestic violence charges
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Atlanta Braves’ Marcell Ozuna stands on the field during the inning of baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on May 4 in Washington.
Marcell Ozuna, an outfielder for the Atlanta Braves, was arrested Saturday on charges of aggravated assault strangulation and misdemeanor family violence after officers witnessed him attack his wife, according to jail records and the police.
Ozuna, 30, was booked by the Sandy Springs Police Department, according to Fulton County jail records. Sandy Springs is a northern suburb of Atlanta.
In a statement released late Saturday, the Police Department said it received a 911 call around 12:30 p.m. regarding an ongoing assault at home in the city. The department said its officers heard screaming and saw the front door open when they arrived. Inside, according to the statement, officers saw Ozuna grabbing the victim — whom they identified as his wife — by the neck and throwing her against a wall.
Officers arrested Ozuna “without further incident,” the statement said. The statement also noted that Ozuna had struck his wife with a cast on his arm. The victim, police said, was injured but not taken to a hospital.
MLB will also investigate the matter.
“We learned of Marcell Ozuna’s arrest earlier this evening and immediately informed the [MLB] Commissioner’s Office,” the Braves said in a statement Saturday night.
“The Braves fully support Major League Baseball’s policy on domestic violence which stresses to the fullest that our society cannot and will not tolerate domestic violence in any form. Until the investigation is completed, we will have no further comment and all inquiries into the matter should be referred to the Office of the Commissioner.”
Since MLB and the players’ union enacted a domestic violence policy in 2015, 13 players have been suspended, with bans ranging from 15 to 162 games after investigations.
Ozuna, a two-time All-Star who led the National League in home runs last season, was placed on the injured list Friday after he injured two fingers on his left hand sliding into a base. He was expected to miss several weeks. The Braves were in New York playing the Mets this weekend.
After hitting .338 with 18 home runs in 60 games for Atlanta last season, Ozuna finished sixth in voting for the NL MVP and over the winter re-signed for four years and $65 million. This season, he was hitting .213 with seven home runs in 48 games.
A year ago, Ozuna’s wife, Genesis, was arrested on a domestic violence charge in Miami.
