'Top Chef' winner Paul Qui arrested in Austin for assaulting girlfriend, police say Blood was smeared on the apartment walls and furniture, police said.

Paul Qui, an award-winning Austin chef and restaurateur who owns the downtown Austin restaurant Qui, was arrested and charged with assault causing bodily injury to a family member and unlawful restraint after allegedly assaulting his girlfriend on March 19, 2016. less Paul Qui, an award-winning Austin chef and restaurateur who owns the downtown Austin restaurant Qui, was arrested and charged with assault causing bodily injury to a family member and unlawful restraint after ... more Photo: Austin Police Department Photo: Austin Police Department Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close 'Top Chef' winner Paul Qui arrested in Austin for assaulting girlfriend, police say 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Paul Qui, an award-winning Austin chef and restaurateur, has been arrested and charged with assaulting his girlfriend over the weekend, according to police.

Qui, who owns the restaurants Qui and East Side King, was charged with assault causing bodily injury to a family member and unlawful restraint, both Class A misdemeanors, on Saturday.

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One of Qui's friends had called police to tell them that Qui and his girlfriend were fighting just before 8 a.m. to Qui's East Austin apartment, according to an arrest affidavit.

Officers could hear "banging around" inside the apartment in addition to yelling and screaming, according to the affidavit.

Qui had "blood all over his face, arms, legs and clothing" when he answered the door, police said in the affidavit.

Officers found Qui's girlfriend crying inside of the apartment while holding a small child, according to the affidavit.

Blood was smeared on the apartment's walls and floor and furniture and broken glass were found tossed around the inside of the home, the affidavit said.

Qui's girlfriend told police that Qui woke her up and asked her to join his friends, who were using cocaine, Xanax and marijuana as well as drinking alcohol, according to the affidavit.

Qui, 35, accused his girlfriend of flirting with his friends, claimed that she was "in agreement to having group sex," and told them to leave, Qui told police.

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The restaurateur's girlfriend told police that Qui began overturning furniture and breaking glass, prompting her to gather some of her belongings and try to leave with her son.

Qui blocked the door and "forcibly pushed her and her son away" from the exit, according to the affidavit.

Police said the 35-year-old "Top Chef" winner then began throwing the woman around and telling her she couldn't leave.

Qui is "very controlling and extremely jealous," the victim told police.

The girlfriend told police that she was experiencing pain in her hip and knee. An officer also noted a fresh cut on her right forearm, bruising on her upper arms and swelling on the right side of her jaw.

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Qui was no longer in Travis County Jail as of Monday morning, according to online jail records.

In 2012, Qui won the ninth season of "Top Chef," a competitive cooking reality series on Bravo.

The Austin-based chef also won the James Beard Foundation Award for best Southwest Chef that year.

News station KXAN first reported the story.

jfechter@mySA.com

Twitter: @JFreports