The Los Angeles County District Attorney's office has asked Redondo Beach police to further investigate Los Angeles Kings player Slava Voynov for domestic violence before prosecutors decide whether charges will be filed, officials said.
Detectives were asked to conduct a follow-up investigation after presenting their findings to prosecutors Wednesday afternoon, the Redondo Beach Police Department said in a news release.
Voynov is scheduled to appear in court Dec. 1. Detectives plan to present the results of their new investigation prior to that date.
The 24-year-old defenseman from Russia maintains his innocence, saying a language barrier led to a misunderstanding of what took place.
"She did get hurt, but it's being misportrayed (sic)," said Voynov's attorney, Craig Renetzky.
Voynov was booked for domestic violence after his arrest Monday at the Torrance hospital where he had driven his significant other, who like Voynov grew up in Russia and speaks minimal English.
"When she was talking to police in the emergency room, she didn't understand a lot of what they were asking," Renetzky said.
Sports
Get today's sports news out of Los Angeles. Here's the latest on the Dodgers, Lakers, Angels, Kings, Galaxy, LAFC, USC, UCLA and more LA teams.
Renetzky said he came to the conclusion after his hour-long interview of her with a Russian translator. However, he declined to say how she had been hurt.
"I can't go into the exact specifics yet because we're still doing some of the investigations but it was clear that it was more of an accident than it was any sort of an intentional injury inflicted by Mr. Voynov," Renetzky said
It's upended the lives of a couple that Renetzky says remains together.
"What I'm afraid of is that people have viewed this incident in the NFL where he (Ray Rice) basically punched her. That's not the case here," he said.
Renetzky was referring to the recorded elevator incident in which Ray Rice is seen striking his then fiancé, now wife Janay, who has since publicly defended him.
Domestic violence authorities say this is not unusual, with the pressures victims face.
But it raises a question whether Voynov's significant other would try to minimize what happened. One neighbor said the screaming he and his wife heard Sunday night went on 20 minutes.
"Just a lot of screaming from a female voice," said neighbor Jim Thorne.
Renetzky said she was screaming because she suffered an injury to her head.
If prosecutors do file a case, it appears they may not receive testimony from the alleged victim.
The National Hockey League took swift action in response to the Voynov’s arrest, suspending him indefinitely pending the outcome of the investigation.
