Former Dodgers pitcher Julio Urías won’t face felony charge
Former Dodgers pitcher Julio Urías will not be charged with a felony by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office, according to a document filed Tuesday, stemming from his arrest last September on suspicion of domestic violence.
According to the office’s charge evaluation worksheet, Urías on the night he was arrested was engaged in an argument with his wife when he “pushed [her] against a fence and pulled her by the hair or shoulders.” The document, however, stated, “neither the Victim’s injuries nor the Defendant’s criminal history justify a felony filing.”
The district attorney’s office has received a completed investigation from law enforcement and will now decide whether to charge Dodger Julio Urías.
The District Atty.’s office is now turning the case over to the City Attorney for “misdemeanor filing considerations.”
Urías also still faces an investigation and possible punishment from Major League Baseball, which could suspend the 27-year-old left-hander — whether or not he is charged by authorities — if it finds he violated the league’s domestic violence policy.
Per the policy, domestic violence is defined in part as “physical or sexual violence … physical intimidation, or injury” and later says “a single incident of abusive behavior … may subject a player to discipline.”
Urías, who spent the first eight years of his MLB career with the Dodgers before becoming a free agent this offseason, was previously suspended 20 games by MLB in 2019 for violating the policy after being arrested, but not charged, on suspicion of domestic battery that year.
Urías’ arrest in September occurred outside of an LAFC soccer game at BMO Stadium. Police were initially alerted by a concerned citizen that a man and woman were involved in a physical altercation. When officers arrived, they “determined a physical altercation had occurred,” according to a report from the Exposition Park Department of Public Safety, and arrested Urías on felony suspicion of domestic violence.
After months of investigation by officers from the California Department of Public Safety, a probe that included cellphone video from a bystander, the case was finally turned over to the DA’s office last month for charges to be reviewed.
Domestic violence accusations are a pattern for Dodgers pitcher Julio Urías and the team can no longer trust him. He can’t throw another pitch in Dodger blue.
Following his arrest, Urías did not pitch for the Dodgers again. Instead, the 2020 World Series champion and 2022 National League ERA leader was put on administrative leave for the rest of the season, before his contract with the team expired in November.
The pitcher’s long-term career prospects remain unclear. Any MLB suspension levied against him wouldn’t be served until he signs with his next team, though there is a possibility that he could get some credit for time served while on leave.
Times staff writer Jorge Castillo contributed to this report.
