Arizona Cardinals cheerleader and Iraq war vet arrested for beating boyfriend over flirty text he sent to his former girlfriend

Footage shows Megan Welter hitting and scratching professional fighter



Argument started over text message sent to ex-girlfriend

The 29-year-old felt her boyfriend resented her after she had an abortion against his wishes

Arrested: Megan Welter is accused of assaulting her boyfriend after an argument over a text message

An Iraq war veteran turned cheerleader for the Arizona Cardinals has been arrested for assaulting her boyfriend at her Scottsdale home.

Megan Welter called police for help getting her professional fighter boyfriend to leave her home after the couple argued about a flirty text message he had sent to an ex-girlfriend.



When police arrived at her home however, it was Welter who was arrested after cell phone footage recorded by her boyfriend showed the 29-year-old cheerleader hitting and scratching him and yelling: 'Who is she?' as he pleaded with her to stop, according to 3TV .

The argument began in the early hours of Saturday, July 20, after the couple went out drinking to celebrate Welter's birthday.



In the 911 call, Welter claimed she was choked and had her head smashed on a ceramic tile floor. She then told the operator: 'I'm a NFL cheerleader, I cannot have ...' before her voice trails off.

Her boyfriend, named by Right This Minute as Ryan McMahon, told police Welter thought he resented her after she aborted their baby against his wishes a month earlier.

When the couple, who have been dating for about six months, returned to Welter's home, they started to argue about a text message the boyfriend had sent.



As he was questioned by police outside Welter's home, he explained he had sent a jokey text to an ex-girlfriend who had sent him a picture of a dog. He replied with a message that read: 'Are you trying to turn me on with a girl dog?'



In footage police filmed as they interviewed him outside the house, he held out his phone and told them repeatedly that he filmed the attack, as he denied harming Welter.



In the footage he recorded, Welter can be heard demanding: 'Who is she? Who is she?' as she scratched him and pulled his hair while he quietly asked her to stop and let him leave.

In the 911 call Welter, who spent 16 months serving her country and leading a platoon in Iraq, claimed that her boyfriend had choked her until she went dizzy, 'smashed [her] head into a tile' and was refusing to leave the house.

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Team player: Megan Welter told a 911 operator she was a NFL cheerleader as she asked for help getting her boyfriend to leave

Cheerleader: Welter served 16 months with the U.S. Army in Iraq. She remains a reservist for the military police

When police spoke to her though they said there was no evidence of bruising or marks on her. Her boyfriend however, was found to have scratches on his arms, chest and shoulder.

His credit card and ID were also found cut up on the kitchen table. According to the police report, Welter admitted to police that she had destroyed them, adding: 'I fully admit to it and I know I shouldn't have.'

She claimed that when she tried to kick her boyfriend out he refused to leave because he was too drunk to drive. Welter told police she threw his 'stuff' out of the house but when he retrieved his belongings she decided to cut up his cards.

Her boyfriend told police they began to fight after drinking at Whiskey Row in Scottsdale. He claimed Welter accused him of resenting her because she aborted their baby against his wishes a month earlier.



He said he did not want to press charges and, in a later statement, told 3TV: 'People make mistakes, no one is perfect. I honestly want the best for her and I hope that this doesn't take away from the good things that she has done for both the NFL, as well as the service to our country.'

Fight: Welter, a third generation soldier, is accused of attacking her boyfriend

Charges: Welter, who swapped her army life to follow her passion for dance, was filmed allegedly attacking her boyfriend

He added: 'People seem to only remember the bad and it is easy to point fingers while standing on the outside. Now with that said, violence is never the answer and I honestly hope that this can be a learning experience for her and everyone else.'

It is not yet clear if the arrest will affect Welter's position as a cheerleader for the Cardinals. In the 911 call she made, she can be heard saying: 'I', an NFL cheerleader. I cannot have ...' before her voice trails off.

The cheerleading team has not yet commented on the arrest or allegations.

Welter was arrested for alleged assault, disorderly conduct and criminal damage.

She had been publicly praised last week, after details were revealed of how the Iraq war veteran had become a cheerleader.



She told Azcardinals.com that joining the military was simply the 'right thing to do.' Welter was then sent overseas as a signal officer.



'I was deployed to Joint Base Belad which is about an hour North of Baghdad. At first, it was scary you know, but um, it's what I signed up to do,' she explained to ABC15 .

While threatened by incoming mortars and rockets at the base in Iraq, she was reminded of another of her dreams when an NFL team visited, complete with their cheerleading squad.

Welter says she talked to the girls and got tips about life as a cheerleader, as dancing had a long been one of her major passions.



'I started when I was three, my mom put me in a tiny, tiny tot class,' she explained to ABC.



'I picked it back up when I was nine, and I loved it, so I danced competitively at a studio from age of nine, all the way through high school, and then I was on my college dance team.'



Service: Welter had previously spoken of her pride during flag ceremonies and the national anthem before Cardinals games

After returning for Iraq she tried out for the Cardinals squad and, despite being one of the older entrants, was selected.

Welter, who is also a reservist in communications for the military police in Scottsdale, Arizona, spoke of her excitement before a big game for the Cardinals.