CALIFORNIA — Reuben Foster, a professional football player, for the San Francisco 49ers, was charged today with felony domestic violence against his live-in girlfriend.

Foster, 24, physically attacked the 28-year-old woman during a February argument at their Los Gatos home, leaving her bruised and with a ruptured ear drum.

Foster is scheduled to be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 12 in Department 44 of the Hall of Justice in San Jose. The defendant faces charges of domestic violence with an allegation that he inflicted great bodily injury, forcefully attempting to prevent a victim from reporting a crime, and possession of an assault weapon – all felonies. He is also charged with misdemeanor possession of large capacity weapon magazine. If convicted, he faces more than 11 years in prison.

Prosecutor Kevin Smith said: “Our focus is on holding accountable those who hurt their intimate partners. Our Office handles between four and five thousand domestic violence cases each year. We only hope that this case illuminates the tragic regularity of the rest.”

On February 11, the victim flagged down a stranger’s car driving on Shannon Road to call 911. She called police. The victim told responding sheriff’s deputies and Los Gatos police that Foster dragged her by her hair, physically threw her out of the house, and punched her in the head 8 to 10 times.

The victim went to a local hospital, where she was treated for her injuries, and released. During their search of Foster’s home, officers found the weapon – a Sig Sauer 516 – along with its large capacity magazine – both of which are illegal to possess in California.

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