Former Seattle Seahawks player Chad Wheeler arrested for assaulting his girlfriend

Prosecutors on Wednesday charged former Seattle Seahawks offensive forward Chad Wheeler with first-degree domestic violence assault and unlawful imprisonment after he allegedly attacked his girlfriend over the weekend. Both charges are considered crimes.

Wheeler has also been charged with resisting arrest, a misdemeanor under Washington state law, according to a spokesperson for the King County District Attorney’s Office in Washington state.

Wheeler was booked into the King County Jail and was released on Tuesday on $ 400,000 bail, jail records show. A judge ordered Wheeler not to have contact with the victim and to surrender his weapons, officials said.

The charges come hours after the Seahawks issued a declaration saying that Wheeler is a free agent and “is no longer with the squad”. According to the official NFL trading list, the Seahawks cut Wheeler from the team on Wednesday.

The team encouraged him to seek help and share information for victims of domestic violence and those with mental health issues.

“The Seahawks are saddened by the details emerging against Chad Wheeler and strongly condemn this act of domestic violence,” the team said. “Our thoughts and support are with the victim.”

Prosecutors have said in a file that Wheeler allegedly attacked and strangled the victim in his bedroom on January 22. He allegedly beat her unconscious twice and left her for dead both times.

A police report said officers responded to a domestic argument at an apartment in the town of Kent after Wheeler’s girlfriend called 911 and told the operator she was “killed”. When they arrived, she was screaming from inside, prompting officers to force their way into the house, according to the report.

Wheeler initially resisted arrest before officers detained him, according to the report. His girlfriend was hospitalized after officers found her with her face covered in blood and her left arm was limp against her body, according to the report.

The woman alleged that Wheeler strangled her and, at one point, used one of her hands and “crushed” it against her nose and mouth to “keep her from breathing,” the report says. She started to fight but lost consciousness, according to the report. When she woke up, Wheeler reportedly asked her, “Wow, are you alive?” – and she ran into the bathroom and started calling 911, according to the report.

The report says the woman is 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 145 pounds and Wheeler is 6 feet 7 inches tall and weighs 310 pounds.

Officers arrived shortly after Wheeler chose the bathroom lock and apologized to the woman, according to the report. The woman alleged that Wheeler suffered from bipolar disorder and was taking medication but had not taken it recently, according to the report, adding that she had told police the couple had been dating for six months without “notable problems” .

Prosecutors have asked the court to place Wheeler on the electronic home detection and have his ankle monitor fitted with GPS. His next court date is February 9.

Wheeler was not drafted in 2017, but signed with the New York Giants and played in 19 of 27 games. He was released by the team ahead of the 2019 season and then joined the Seahawks’ practice squad. He saw no action on the pitch that year, but appeared in five games last season.

Notable NFL figures have responded to the news of Wheeler’s arrest and called on the league to act.

Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Zach Banner, who was Wheeler’s roommate in college, tweeted that Wheeler is “completely different” from the person he knew. “What he did was heartbreaking, and I will never forgive … My thoughts and prayers are with the victim. She and her health should be the (top) priority.”