A video taken of San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi's wife shows her crying and pointing to a bruise on her arm that allegedly occurred during an argument on New Year's Eve, and she alludes to possible prior domestic violence incidents from earlier last year, according to court documents.
Mirkarimi is set to be arraigned Thursday afternoon on charges of domestic violence battery, child endangerment and dissuading a witness in connection with the alleged Dec. 31 incident involving his wife, Eliana Lopez, and their young son Theo.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit filed Friday by police Inspector Richard Daniele and released to reporters Tuesday, a neighbor called police to say she was told by Lopez about the attack a day after it allegedly happened.
The neighbor took a video of Lopez crying and pointing to a bruise on her right bicep, Daniele said in the affidavit. Lopez then said, "This happened yesterday. Two times in 2011 and this is the second time this is happening. I told Ross I want to work on the marriage, we need help, I been (sic) telling him we need help and I'm going to use this just in case he wants to take Theo away from me because he did said (sic) that he is very powerful and can do it," according to the affidavit.
The neighbor said Lopez told her that the Dec. 31 argument started when she, Mirkarimi and Theo were traveling to a restaurant for lunch and she asked if she could visit her family in Venezuela the day after he was sworn in as sheriff on Jan. 8. Mirkarimi became enraged, saying "f--- you, f--- you, you are trying to take Theo away from me," then turned the car around, saying she didn't deserve to eat, Daniele said in the affidavit.
Lopez has since denied the allegations against Mirkarimi, saying at a news conference last Friday, "This is unbelievable. I don't have any complaints against my husband."
She has retained an attorney, Cheryl Wallace, and has refused to speak to investigators about the case, according to the affidavit. Mirkarimi, who was booked into jail late Friday and released on $35,000 bail, is not allowed to enter the family's home
