Update!

Tila Tequila Hospitalized Following Attack by NFL Star Boyfriend

Reality's raciest star receives medical treatment after violent altercation with San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman

By Megan Masters Sep 07, 2009 1:36 AMTags
Tila TequilaAP Photo/Evan Agostini

Tila Tequila took another shot at love and, unfortunately, it's apparently taken a shot back at her.

The reality starlet was hospitalized early Sunday following an altercation with her San Diego Chargers boyfriend, Shawne Merriman, officials confirm to E! News.

The San Diego Sheriff's Department received a disturbance call from Tila "Tequila" Nguyen at 3:45 a.m. She told deputies she had been choked by Merriman and, when she tried to leave, he physically restrained her.

Nguyen, 27, signed a citizen's arrest warrant accusing the NFL linebacker of battery and false imprisonment.

Merriman logged two and a half hours in custody in county jail before being released. Tequila's rep declined to discuss her condition and said she would have no comment on the incident at this time.

There was no sign of trouble hours earlier as the two partied at the local hot spot Stingaree.

"Shawne Merriman and Tila Tequila arrived at Stingaree on Saturday evening together and joined a birthday celebration with friends already going on in the penthouse," the club rep tells E! News.

"Merriman and Tequila stayed until closing in the early hours of Sunday morning. They seemed in good spirits throughout the evening and were enjoying themselves. There was no outward indication of any problem between the two of them."

The 25-year-old Chargers star has been a sports news staple over the past few years, most notably for a controversial 2006 NFL suspension for the use of performance-enhancing substances and having to sit out the 2008 season to nurse a knee injury.

In a statement, Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith said, "It's disappointing to hear about the issue involving Shawne Merriman. We'll continue to monitor the situation and let the legal process run its course.''

The San Diego County District Attorney is reviewing the evidence and will decide whether to press criminal charges.

(Originally published Sept. 6, 2009, at 11:37 a.m. PT)

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