Nikki Garcia’s twin sister Brie Garcia desperately wants her to leave her husband Artem Chigvintsev following his arrest for domestic battery, with insiders claiming their marriage had been plagued by arguments.
Artem, 42, was released on a $25,000 bond on August 29, after his early morning arrest in Yountville, California on Thursday.
Due to laws protecting the identity of domestic violence victims, officials at the Napa County Sheriff’s Office have not released the name, gender or age of the alleged victim, but reports indicated he was charged with corporal injury to a spouse.
An insider close to former WWE star Brie, 40, has said she is ‘disgusted’ by the news of Artem’s arrest, and wants her twin to have nothing to do with him.’
‘Nikki’s sister Brie is disgusted, shocked, disappointed and just sad that this happened,’ they told DailyMail.com.
Nikki Garcia’s twin sister Brie Garcia desperately wants her to leave her husband Artem Chigvintsev following his arrest for domestic battery, insiders have told DailyMail.com
Dancing with the Stars professional Chigvintsev, 42, was released on bond on August 29
‘She loves Artem, and for this to be going down is so out of the realm of possibility of the person who she knows. Brie is very concerned about it all and is there for her sister at all costs.’
The added: ‘Brie, who is obviously the closest to Nikki, as anyone would, is telling her to leave Artem, if this is as bad as it seems, and if it happened before, once she finds out everything that happened, she will be the first to tell Nikki to leave him.’
Nikki and Artem’s marriage was reportedly plagued by arguments, but his violent outburst has shocked the WWE star and her family.
‘One thing Nikki never showed was the verbal troubles that she had with Artem,’ the source continued. ‘They wouldn’t treat each other very nice and they never built on a friendship.
‘Their sole focus has been on their son and not on each other. That caused arguments, but as far as everyone knows it never got physical.
‘Family and friends are very surprised things got physical, but they’re not exactly surprised that they were having trouble, it just seemed like normal relationship issues to outsiders.’
Brie’s concern for her sister comes as a representative speaking on behalf of Nikki called for privacy following the arrest.
‘This is a private matter, and Nikki asks for privacy for her and her family at this time,’ a rep told Us Weekly.
Officials with the Napa County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Artem’s arrest with Dailymail.com on Thursday, noting that deputies clearly witnessed physical evidence of domestic violence prior to taking the ABC star into custody.
The DWTS pro was arrested just three days after he and Nikki, 40, had celebrated their second wedding anniversary (Pictured in 2019)
An insider close to Nikki’s twin Brie told DailyMail.com that she wants her sibling to leave Artem and that she is concerned for her safety
The longtime Dancing With the Stars pro was arrested in Yountville, California in connection with suspicion of felony domestic violence by deputies with the department.
‘When it comes to felony domestic violence, it’s not based on hearsay,’ said Henry Wofford, a spokesperson for Napa County Sheriff’s Office.
‘The deputies saw something that is apparent.’
He explained: ‘I’m not telling you this is what happened in this particular case, but sometimes there would be evidence of blood, sometimes scratches, sometimes it’s bruises – it’s something visible where the deputies said, “OK, we’re making this arrest”.’
A 911 call made from the premises at around 8:30 a.m, insiders close to the probe told TMZ on Thursday, after an unidentified caller reported a ‘medical emergency’ from their $1.5 million marital home.
Sources told the outlet that ‘paramedics and the fire department were on route, someone from the house called 911 again to cancel the request, and both agencies went back to their stations.
Over the weekend, Nikki was seen boarding a JSX flight to Sin City at Oakland airport without her wedding ring. She was accompanied by her son Matteo, four, and an assistant
Artem and Nikki have been arguing – but this has never previously, to anyone’s knowledge, turned physical
According to the Napa County arrest database, the specific state penal code applies to suspects who ‘willfully [inflict] corporal injury resulting in a traumatic condition’ toward a ‘spouse or former spouse;’ ‘cohabitant or former cohabitant;’ ‘fiancé or fiancé;’ ‘someone with whom the offender has, or previously had, an engagement or dating relationship;’ or ‘the mother or father of the offender’s child.’
Three days prior to his arrest, Artem celebrated his second wedding anniversary with wife Nikki, who formerly wrestled in the WWE under the name Nikki Bella alongside Brie. The siblings were known as the Bella Twins.
Artem and Nikki initially crossed paths in 2017 when they were paired up on the 25th season of Dancing with the Stars.
The couple are parents to son Matteo, four.
Artem had previously been in high-profile relationships with other celebrities, including dancer Giselle Peacock, 43, between 2004 and 2005. He also dated DWTS judge Carrie Ann Inaba, 56, between 2006 and 2008.
Over the weekend, Nikki was seen boarding a JSX flight to Sin City at Oakland airport without her wedding ring. She was accompanied by her son and an assistant.