Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges pled not guilty to three felony charges of domestic violence at his arraignment Wednesday morning. The charges were filed Tuesday by Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon, and a date for a preliminary hearing will be determined on Aug. 19.
Shortly after Bridges’ arrest, Mychelle Johnson, who has two children with Bridges, posted several photos of bruises and other injuries on her body to Instagram. She did not mention Bridges in the post and has since deleted it. No names besides Bridges’ were given in the district attorney’s news release.
Bridges was arrested on June 29 by Los Angeles police and released on a $130,000 bond after being accused of assaulting his girlfriend in front of their two children. The charges filed against Bridges include one count of injuring a child’s parent and two counts of “child abuse under circumstances or conditions likely to cause great bodily injury or death.”
The source of the child abuse counts is unclear, as the district attorney merely stated that the children were present during the incident. In a statement, Gascon was adamant that Bridges should “be held accountable for his actions.”
“Domestic violence creates physical, mental and emotional trauma that has a lasting impact on survivors,” Gascon said. “Children who witness family violence are especially vulnerable and the impact on them is immeasurable.”
Before his arrest, the Hornets had offered Bridges a qualifying offer to compete with other teams trying to sign him, making him a restricted free agent. The NBA is conducting its own investigation into the allegations. During this investigation, the NBA retains the right to place Bridges on administrative leave, and depending on the findings, he could face a lengthy suspension or outright dismissal if proven guilty.
After being selected in the first round of the 2018 NBA Draft with the 12th overall pick by the Los Angeles Clippers, Bridges has played all four of his professional seasons with the Hornets. In 2022, he emerged as a key contributor for the team, scoring 20.2 points per game.
