Miles Bridges pleads not guilty to felony domestic violence, child abuse charges
Warning: The following article contains graphic allegations of domestic violence.
Miles Bridges faces multiple felony counts of domestic violence and child abuse stemming from an alleged attack that took place in June in Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles County district attorney's office announced the charges against the Charlotte Hornets restricted free agent on Tuesday. Bridges faces one felony count of injuring a child’s parent and two felony counts of child abuse under circumstances or conditions likely to cause great bodily injury or death.
Bridges pleaded not guilty to the charges in a Wednesday arraignment hearing.
Miles Bridges' girlfriend describes violent attack
Bridges, 24, was arrested on June 29 and released a day later on $130,000 bond. On July 1, his girlfriend Mychelle Johnson, posted graphic images on social media of injuries she wrote that she sustained during a violent attack. Per Johnson, she suffered fractures of her nose and wrist, a torn eardrum and torn muscles in her neck from being choked.
"I hate that it has come to this but I can’t be silent anymore," Johnson wrote in the post that has since been deleted. "I’ve allowed someone to destroy my home, abuse me in every way possible and traumatize our kids for life. I have nothing to prove to the world, but I won’t allow anyone who could do something so horrible to have no remorse and paint a picture of something I’m not.
"I won’t allow the people around him to continue to silence me and continue to lie to protect this person. It’s unethical, it’s immoral, it’s truly SICK. It hurts my heart because I’ve always had hope, and so much love and as scary as this is for me to do it’s time I stand up for myself.
"I won’t be silent to protect others anymore because I value myself and my kids more than anyones ‘image’.… a fracture nose, wrist, torn eardrum, torn muscles in my neck from being choked until I went to sleep and a severe concussion.
"I don’t need sympathy, I just don’t want this happening to anyone else, I just want this person to get help, my kids deserve better. That’s all I want. It hurts, everything hurts, this situation hurts, most importantly I’m scared and hurting for my kids who were witness to everything. Please respect my families privacy and stop with the disgusting rumors and allegations."
Her post included what appeared to be a medical report that stated that Johnson was an “adult victim of physical abuse by a male partner."
L.A. DA vows that Bridges 'will be held accountable'
L.A. District Attorney George Gascón issued a statement alongside the charges vowing to hold Bridges accountable.
“Domestic violence creates physical, mental and emotional trauma that has a lasting impact on survivors,” Gascón's statement reads. “Children who witness family violence are especially vulnerable and the impact on them is immeasurable. Mr. Bridges will be held accountable for his actions and our Bureau of Victim Services will support the survivors through this difficult process.”
Per the statement, the alleged assault by Bridges took place in front of the victim's two children. Bridges has not publicly addressed his arrest and didn't immediately respond on Tuesday after charges were filed.
The Hornets extended a qualifying offer to Bridges following the 2021-22 season, meaning they had the right to match any offer from an opposing team in free agency. Bridges was arrested the day before the start of free agency. The Hornets released a statement addressing Tuesday's felony charges.
“We are aware of the charges that were filed today against Miles Bridges," the statement reads. "These are very serious charges that we will continue to monitor. As this is a legal matter, we will have no further comment at this time.”
The NBA issued a similar statement.
“We are aware of the charges filed today against Miles Bridges," the statement reads. "The league is investigating the allegations.”
If you or someone you know has experienced domestic violence, help is available. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24/7 with free, anonymous help by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), texting “START” to 88788 or online at thehotline.org.