Ronnie Ortiz-Magro was arrested in Los Angeles on Friday, October 4, after an altercation with on-and-off girlfriend Jen Harley.
The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed the 33-year-old’s arrest, first reported by FOX 11 Los Angeles, in a statement to Us Weekly. “Officers responded to a battery in progress in the 7200 block of Woodrow Wilson Drive at around 2:40 a.m.,” the LAPD’s public information officer told Us. “Suspect and victim were involved in some kind of physical altercation. When officers [were] on location, the suspect was uncooperative. Officers had to use a taser so there was minor use of force that occurred.”
![Ronnie Ortiz-Magro Arrested After Alleged Altercation With Jen Harley](/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Ronnie-Ortiz-Magro-Arrested-After-Alleged-Altercation-With-Jen-Harley.jpg?w=1000&quality=78&strip=all)
“I just know that he was being arrested for felony domestic violence,” the PIO added. “A child at the location was not harmed.”
According to TMZ, Ortiz-Magro and Harley, 31 — who share 18-month-old daughter Ariana Sky — were staying at an Airbnb when he allegedly struck her and chased her with a knife.
LAPD dispatch audio published by The Blast reveals that neighbors heard Harley screaming that someone took her daughter and that she claimed Ortiz-Magro had a knife. The responding officers noted the reality star was “refusing to comply.”
Police later booked Ortiz-Magro for kidnapping, although the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has not filed any official criminal charges against him as prosecutors have not yet received information from the LAPD concerning the incident.
The altercation came just hours after the pair attended his CBD launch party of VERGE at Poppy’s in West Hollywood, where they shared a kiss and mentioned that Ariana was there with them in L.A. An eyewitness tells Us that Ortiz-Magro seemed “clean-cut, articulate, well-behaved, happy and put-together” at the event.
On September 19, the Jersey Shore: Family Vacation star exclusively told Us he and Harley were committed to making their relationship work. “You know, we’re still not perfect, but we’re still working on our relationship every day,” he said. “I really think it is [about] being the best parents that we can be to Ariana and that we’re doing a great job so far.”
Two weeks earlier, Us confirmed the duo’s latest split, with Harley posting a series of photos of Ortiz-Magro with another woman. An insider, however, told Us the woman was just a pal: “Ronnie did not cheat. That girl is a friend of his and that was from a boat party with a bunch of people. She was there for him because they broke up middle of last week, and she was being that friend consoling him. He was really upset.”
In February, Us broke the news that Ortiz-Magro spent a month seeking treatment for depression and alcohol abuse. “I wanted to be a better person, a better father for my daughter,” he told Us at the time. “Eventually, all the bad decisions I was making were going to lead me to places that I didn’t want to be. I wanted to be led to the place that I am now — that’s happy, healthy and the best role model for my daughter.”
With reporting by Melissa Roberto and Taylor Ferber