A backup dancer for singer Ricky Martin has landed a slew of domestic violence charges made by his ex-girlfriend, a fellow dancer who once performed with the rapper Pitbull.
People, who broke the story nationally, described Sherhan Rodriguez, who most recently appeared on stage with Martin on his M.A.S. tour, and Magdielle Bracoviche, a model and professional dancer from Venezuela, as a couple that were “fixtures on the Miami scene.”
The magazine also characterized Bracoviche and Rodriguez’s “tumultuous” relationship as an “on again, off again” affair, punctuated with violent outbursts. While Rodriguez’s attorney Jose Baez told People that Bracoviche had “hit…his client many times before,” alleging that she was the “aggressor” and that such behavior was “the nature of their relationship,” Bravoviche’s legal team disagrees.
“The relationship, which is over, definitely had its challenges,” Bracoviche’s attorney Alex Strassman stated in the article. “But nothing ever happened that approached the violence of November 26, 2015. That’s when Mr. Rodriguez struck my client.”
The date Strassman invoked refers to an incident that ensued after Rodriguez discovered photos and text messages on Bracoviche’s cell phone; after finding them, Rodriguez became heated and angry.
The reason? He “didn’t like” them.
According to Miami’s local ABC affiliate, which covered the story in February, authorities confirmed that both parties entered a vehicle owned by Bracoviche. Once inside the car, Rodriguez “became aggressive” and “slapped her with an open hand numerous times.” The attack culminated in Rodriguez “[striking] her so hard in the face that she almost crashed her car,” which occurred near Biscayne Boulevard, one of Miami’s major thoroughfares.
After entering a parking garage near Bravoviche’s apartment complex, surveillance video acquired by both People and ABC also depicts Rodriguez “chasing after [Bracoviche’s] car” and “Rodriguez diving into the passenger side window of the vehicle.”
Local police also told reporters that two bystanders had witnessed the attack, and that Rodriguez’s blows caused Bracoviche to “bleed from her nose.”
A month after the alleged attack, Bracoviche posted a picture of her face on her Instagram account, which sported a bloody nose and contusions.
“I did not suffer any serious injuries, but I am having difficulty breathing through the nose, which has affected me a lot as I try to resume my dancing,” Bracoviche wrote at the time, explaining the affect of her wounds on her career.
“The swelling has not disappeared completely. I opened my eyes to a situation of violence, lies, betrayals and suffering,” she added.
ABC also noted that since then, the performer and dancer has used her social media account to advocate against domestic violence, participating in a campaign with Amnesty International.
Rodriguez was arrested in February, and charged with battery, burglary and criminal mischief.
The case is set to go to court sometime next year. In the meantime, Judge Mindy Glazer has issued a restraining order against Rodriguez. During proceedings, the Florida judge stated that if the accusant posted bail, he would be allowed to return to Bracoviche’s home to pick up his things while accompanied by a police officer.
Neither Martin or Pitbull have commented on the story at this time.
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Image via Miami-Dade Department of Corrections.
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