Suspended Los Angeles Kings defenseman Slava Voynov is scheduled to be arraigned today on a felony domestic violence charge stemming from his arrest at a Torrance hospital where his wife was being treated.
Voynov, 24, is facing a single count of corporal injury to a spouse with great bodily injury.
Defense attorney Craig Renetzky said when his client was charged that Voynov was “extremely disappointed” with the decision to file a case against him and “maintains his innocence.”
“He is really looking forward to clearing his name in court as soon as possible,” his lawyer said.
Voynov was arrested Oct. 20 at Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Torrance, where his wife was being treated for injuries to her eyebrow, cheek and neck that prosecutors allege she suffered during an argument with her husband the previous night.
Immediately following his arrest, Voynov was suspended with pay by the National Hockey League.
According to Redondo Beach Lt. Joe Hoffman, police went to Voynov’s home in the 800 block of Avenue C the night of Oct. 19 in response to a report of a woman screaming and crying. Responding officers, however, found nobody at the home.
About 1 a.m. Oct. 20, police received a call from the Torrance Police Department “concerning an adult female being treated in the Little Company of Mary Hospital emergency room for injuries that were possibly received during a domestic violence incident that had occurred earlier in the city of Redondo Beach,” Hoffman said.
“Redondo Beach police officers responded to the hospital and met with the victim, determining that a domestic violence incident did occur in Redondo Beach,” Hoffman said.
If convicted as charged, Voynov could face up to nine years in state prison, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
In a statement released soon after the charge was filed against Voynov, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said, “We are aware of the actions taken today in California, which we will review and evaluate before making any decisions. Until further notice, the current terms of Mr. Voynov’s suspension remain in place.”
The Los Angeles Kings issued a statement then saying that the team “maintain(s) our support of the NHL’s indefinite suspension of Slava Voynov. As an organization we will continue to closely monitor the developments of the legal proceedings and work in partnership with the NHL to determine the proper course of action in the future.”
The Stanley Cup-winning hockey player — whose first name is Viatcheslav — is from Chelyabinsk, Russia.
