ATLANTA — Atlanta Braves outfielder Marcell Ozuna, accused of striking his wife with a cast on his broken fingers from a game injury, has been granted a $20,000 bond.
Wearing navy blue jail clothes and a yellow cast over his injured left arm, Ozuna appeared in a bond hearing Monday held by Zoom meeting. Fulton County Magistrate Court Judge Ashley Osby ordered that the outfielder have no contact with his wife, that they use a family member or third party to ferry their children between them, and that Ozuna have no weapons in his possession while his criminal case is pending.
Ozuna's defense attorney, Lars Anderson, described the marriage as "toxic" and said the Ozunas are in the midst of a divorce. His client has no prior record.
Ozuna, 30, was arrested Saturday after Sandy Springs officers reported seeing him choke his wife, throw her against a wall and strike her with the cast.
Responding to a 911 call reporting an assault in progress, police arrived at the couple's Windsor Cove home and heard screaming from inside, with the front door open, Sgt. Salvador Ortega said.
"Officers entered the residence through the open door and witnessed the suspect grabbing the victim by the neck and throwing her against a wall," Ortega said in an emailed statement. "Officers were able to immediately take the suspect into custody without further incident. In addition to the strangulation attempts, the suspect also struck the victim with his arm which has a cast from a previous injury."
Ozuna's wife, Genesis, told officers she and her husband argued and he threatened to kill her before she called 911, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by Channel 2 Action News.
According to court documents, Genesis told investigators she had been taking a shower when her husband entered the bathroom and took both of her cellphones and refused to give them back.
Ozuna told police he left the home with the phones and when he returned, his wife was holding a knife.
Genesis told police that she was afraid for her life due to her husband's "aggressive behavior and being physically abusive towards her in the past," court documents stated.
Investigators said Ozuna's wife had visible injuries but she did not go to the hospital. The couple's children were not in the home at the time, Sgt. Ortega said Sunday.
Police charged Ozuna with aggravated assault by strangulation and family violence, jail records showed. He is charged under Georgia's Family Violence Act, so now that the case has been turned over to prosecutors, the charges cannot be dropped by the alleged victim.
His arrest came a year to the day after Genesis Ozuna was arrested in Miami after a domestic dispute when she allegedly struck her husband with a soap dish. Her attorney, who was present during Monday's hearing, said that case has been dismissed.
But it's not yet known when Ozuna will know his status with the team and Major League Baseball, which has taken a tough stance against domestic violence in recent years. The Braves released a statement on Saturday:
"We learned of Marcell Ozuna's arrest earlier this evening and immediately informed the Commissioner's Office," the team said. "The Braves fully support Major League Baseball's policy on domestic violence which stresses to the fullest that our society cannot and will not tolerate domestic violence in any form. Until the investigation is completed, we will have no further comment and all inquiries into the matter should be referred to the Office of the Commissioner."
Staff Writer Alexis Stevens contributed to this story.
