Hornets' Miles Bridges threatened ex-wife, violated domestic violence protective order, per new criminal summons
Miles Bridges rejoined the Hornets this summer and is serving a 30-game suspension for a previous domestic violence arrest
Content warning: The following article contains graphic descriptions of alleged domestic violence.
A criminal summons was issued Wednesday for Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges in North Carolina, according to documents from the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office.
There is also an unserved arrest warrant for Bridges that was issued Jan. 2 for violating a domestic violence protective order, according to reports. The criminal summons was for violating that order, misdemeanor child abuse and injury to personal property. Jessica Allen and Glenn Counts of WSOC-TV in Charlotte first reported the summons and warrant.
The summons says Bridges "threatened victim during a custody exchange, throwing pool table balls at her vehicle (smashed windshield and dents on car)" and "threatened victim that if she told the police he would take everything from her and withhold child support."
Neither the warrant nor the summons had been officially served as of Thursday morning. The incidents that led to the criminal summons being issued Wednesday occurred Tuesday and involved the woman who was involved in Bridges’ initial domestic violence arrest last year.
The Hornets released a statement Wednesday, saying they were gathering more information and are aware of the reports.
Bridges was arrested last offseason in Los Angeles after he allegedly attacked his wife in front of their children. His wife posted images on social media of injuries, which she later deleted, and wrote that they included a “fracture[d] nose, wrist, torn eardrum, torn muscles in my neck from behind choked until I went to sleep and a severe concussion.”
Bridges later pleaded no contest to a domestic violence charge in a plea agreement with prosecutors and was sentenced to 100 hours of community service, domestic violence counseling and parenting classes. He did not serve time in jail. As part of that deal, Bridges agreed to terms of a 10-year protective order and was sentenced to three years probation.
The NBA suspended Bridges for 30 games after conducting an independent investigation. He did not play at all last season, which the league is counting toward 20 games of his suspension. He will serve the final 10 games of the ban to start the season this fall.
Bridges returned to the Hornets on a $7.9 million qualifying offer for the 2023-24 season. He apologized in June when addressing reporters alongside general manager Mitch Kupchak, who cited Bridges’ compliance with the legal conditions of his plea, his “remorse and accountability” and his promise that “this would never happen again.”
“I believe Miles when he said that,” Kupchak said in June.
It's unclear if the Hornets knew of the arrest warrant issued for Bridges in January when they reached the deal.
Bridges averaged a career-high 20.2 points, seven rebounds and 3.8 assists per game in the 2021-22 season, his fourth in the league after the Hornets selected him in with the No. 18 pick in 2018 out of Michigan State through a draft-day trade with the LA Clippers. The 25-year-old will be a free agent next summer.
