Report: John Conyers III arrested in domestic abuse case, but not prosecuted
John Conyers III, who may run for Congress to replace the seat of his retiring father Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), was arrested, but not charged, for domestic violence this year in Los Angeles, according to a report by NBC News.
The victim said that Conyers III, a 27-year-old Detroit hedge fund manager, pushed and shoved her, NBC News reports.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office cited a "lack of independent witnesses," according to NBC, but concluded that it "could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the victim's injury was not accidentally sustained" while he was disarming her.
The only visible injury on the alleged victim, Conyers III's girlfriend who was unnamed in the records, was a small stab wound to her lower bicep, NBC reports.
Following her Feb. 15 call to the police, Conyers III was arrested on suspicion of violence against his girlfriend at a Los Angeles residence, according to NBC.
According to the report, the alleged victim said Conyers III "body slammed her on the bed and then on the floor where he pinned her down and spit on her" on suspicions of her infidelity after going through her computer.
After the alleged assault, she tried to call the police, but Conyers III allegedly took her phone and chased her into the kitchen of the residence. By her account, she grabbed a knife out of self-defense and told Conyers III to leave, but he took the knife, cutting her arm in the process.
Both Conyers III and his girlfriend called the police following the altercation, according to NBC.
Conyers III says the girlfriend had consumed alcohol and marijuana and that she tried to force him to leave, which lead to the physical fight and her threatening him with the knife.
Police say that Conyers III was taken into custody and released the same day in lieu of $50,000 bond, NBC reports.
Conyers III's father announced his resignation Tuesday in light of multiple claims of sexual misconduct against him. He endorsed his eldest son following the announcement of his own retirement.
"My legacy can't be compromised or diminished in any way by what we're going through now. This too shall pass," said Conyers on a local Michigan radio station Tuesday morning.
Conyers III, however, says he is unsure if he'll run for his father's congressional seat.
"I have not concluded if I will be a candidate but hope to come to a decision by the new year --- once I have taken the time to thoroughly listen to the community," he wrote in a statement released on social media Wednesday.