Witness video in former Dodgers pitcher Julio UrÃas’ domestic battery case released
As former Dodgers pitcher Julio UrÃas awaits a decision from Major League Baseball on potential discipline over a domestic violence incident last year, the Los Angeles Times has obtained a copy of video of the incident.
UrÃas was arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence last September outside BMO Stadium. The case was resolved in May, with UrÃas pleading no contest to misdemeanor domestic battery.
California Highway Patrol released witness video of former Dodgers pitcher Julio UrÃas’ domestic dispute
The video was provided by the California Highway Patrol, the agency that investigated the incident, in response to a California Public Records Act request for videos and other information from the investigation.
The video shows UrÃas charging toward his wife and then aligns with the district attorney’s previous description of the incident: UrÃas “pushed [her] against a fence and pulled her by the hair or shoulders.â€
After the two were separated, the video shows UrÃas taking a swing with his left hand as he is restrained and, after a few seconds, led away by security outside the stadium, where LAFC had played a soccer match that night.
The video, shot by an anonymous witness and previously unseen by the public, spans 72 seconds. Faces of most people in the video, including UrÃas’ wife, are blurred in compliance with California privacy rights, according to CHP.
The CHP report lists UrÃas and his wife as the only two “involved parties.â€
Julio UrÃas was placed on probation and ordered to take a domestic violence treatment course for misdemeanor charges of battering his wife.
MLB has not yet said whether — or for how long — it would suspend UrÃas, which would make him the first player twice suspended under the league policy on domestic violence and sexual assault.
“MLB is continuing to gather all the relevant evidence in our investigation,†a league spokesman said Wednesday.
The Major League Baseball Players Assn. declined comment Wednesday, as did UrÃas’ agent Scott Boras.
In its case evaluation, the district attorney’s office concluded that “neither the victim’s injuries nor the defendant’s criminal history justify a felony filing.â€
The city attorney subsequently filed five misdemeanor charges against UrÃas. He pleaded no contest to one, the other four were dropped, and he agreed to enter a yearlong domestic violence treatment program.
UrÃas has not played since the incident. The league put him on administrative leave for the final month of the 2023 season, and he became a free agent thereafter.
The MLB domestic violence policy authorizes the commissioner to suspend a player for violating the policy, even if he has not been charged with a crime.
In 2019, UrÃas was arrested after an incident at the Beverly Center in which witnesses said he shoved his now-wife in the parking lot and she said she fell.
Exposition Park management police released an incident report with limited details about the arrest of Dodgers pitcher Julio UrÃas.
No charges were filed, although UrÃas agreed to enter a domestic violence treatment program. MLB suspended him for 20 games.
At that time, UrÃas issued a statement that read in part: “Although the authorities determined no charges of any kind were warranted, I accept full responsibility for what I believe was my inappropriate conduct during the incident.
“Even in this instance where there was no injury or history of violence, I understand and agree that Major League players should be held to a higher standard. I hold myself to a higher standard as well.â€
UrÃas, 28, recorded the final out of the Dodgers’ World Series championship in 2020. He led the National League in victories (20) in 2021 and earned-run average (2.16) in 2022.
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