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Former Patriot Patrick Chung pleads not guilty to domestic violence charges; alleged victim obtains civil restraining order

Former New England Patriot Patrick C. Chung (left) pleaded not guilty to domestic violence charges involving the mother of one of his children at Quincy District Court on Tuesday.David L. Ryan/Globe Staff

QUINCY — Former New England Patriots player Patrick C. Chung allegedly shoved the mother of his son and struck her twice in the face outside her Milton home, authorities said Tuesday.

Chung, 34, pleaded not guilty to domestic violence and vandalism charges and was released on a $10,000 bond. The woman whom Chung is accused of attacking obtained a civil restraining order against him.

The woman told investigators that around 6:40 p.m. Monday she received a frantic phone call from her son, who had been visiting with Chung, according to a police report filed in Quincy District Court. Her son said Chung was driving fast and that he was “scared of his father’s behavior,” the report said.

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The woman, who was not identified in the report or in court, waited outside her home in the rain until Chung arrived. When she went to get her son, Chung “turned to her and pushed her, causing her to drop her phone and fall back on to the paved sidewalk striking her buttocks, lower back area, and her back and neck area,” police wrote.

When she got up to confront Chung, he slapped her in the face, the report said. She slapped Chung in retaliation, and he slapped her again in the face before picking her phone off the ground and throwing it against the house, shattering the screen, the report said.

Chung drove off. He was later arrested at his home in Norton.

The woman told authorities that Chung had become enraged at their son and drove him to her house. When Chung pulled into the woman’s driveway, he opened the rear driver’s side door to hug his son. As he did, the woman heard Chung say, “Your mom’s a piece of [expletive].”

Responding medics and police couldn’t find any signs of swelling to the victim’s face or back, according to the report. She told police she was in pain, and at one point had to stop speaking with officers “due to the pain she was experiencing.”

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“Mr. Chung appeared to be the initial aggressor,” police wrote in the report.

Their son, who witnessed the altercation, cried several times as his mother spoke to the police.

In court on Tuesday, Chung’s lawyer, Sandy Pesiridis, rejected the woman’s account, asserting that she had been the aggressor.

”Mr. Chung is an upstanding member of the community, wonderful father, and he looks forward to be able to set this straight in respect to what actually occurred,” Pesiridis said. “He is the victim ... in this matter.”

The woman, representing herself, asked a judge to issue a civil restraining order against Chung. The judge issued the order, which converts into a criminal offense if Chung violates its terms.

“There is something very wrong here,” the woman said as she broke into tears. “My son lives in fear of his father.”

Pesiridis aggressively questioned the woman during the hearing, asking about her injuries and communication with Chung before the altercation.

When asked by Pesiridis if she was “in imminent fear” of Chung, she responded, “Always.”

A woman who identified herself as Chung’s fiancee also testified that the alleged victim had instigated the incident.

She said she was driving with Chung as he took his son home. The mother was waiting on the front steps when they arrived and pushed Chung out of the way to get to their son as he got out of the driver’s seat.

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Chung turned and returned to his seat, the fiancee said, but the mother chased him, attempting to close the vehicle’s door on Chung’s leg and punching him in the face three times.

Their son was in the back seat when the altercation occurred, Chung’s fiancee said. She said Chung did not strike the mother in the face.

Chung retired in March after opting out of the 2020-21 season due to the coronavirus pandemic. He was drafted by the Patriots in 2009 out of Oregon and spent 10 of his 11 seasons in the NFL in New England. He was part of three Super Bowl-winning teams.

An e-mail to a spokesperson for the sports agency that represents him wasn’t immediately returned. Chung didn’t speak to reporters as he left the courthouse Tuesday before climbing into a white GMC truck and driving away. He is due back in court Jan. 7.

Chung was indicted in August 2019 for possession of a controlled drug, a charge that stemmed from a visit earlier that summer by police to a New Hampshire home that Chung owned.

In January 2020, New Hampshire prosecutors agreed to drop the charge on the conditions that Chung stay out of trouble for two years, submit to drug screening, and perform 40 hours of community service.

Chung had been active on Twitter in the past few days. On Sunday he wrote: “Hate is a strong word. But there are some people that deserve it. Use it wisely.” Shortly before 4 p.m. on Monday, he wrote, “Best day of my life.”

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Katie McInerney and Travis Andersen of the Globe staff contributed to this report.


John R. Ellement can be reached at john.ellement@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @JREbosglobe. Andrew Brinker can be reached at andrew.brinker@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter at @andrewnbrinker.