Morocco Omari Arrested On Domestic Battery Charge; 'Empire' Actor Refutes Abuse Claims

Morocco Omari, who plays Tariq Cousins on "Empire," has just been arrested on domestic battery charges. The actor was arrested on Wednesday afternoon, charged by his girlfriend for domestic abuse. Omari refuted the claims and said that he has never abused any woman in his life. He made an appearance in court on Thursday and is awaiting another hearing on April 20.

On "Empire," Omari plays Tariq Cousins, an FBI agent who serves as an antagonist and half-brother to Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard). In real life, his life is just as controversial. Recently, he has just been arrested after his 24-year-old girlfriend called the police. Los Angeles Times reported that the woman and the actor got into a fight where the latter shoved the former down to the ground multiple times.

The Chicago police responded to the call from the Hyde Park neighborhood at 2:30 PM on Wednesday. Omari was charged with misdemeanor domestic battery and was then arrested. He appeared at court in front of a judge on Thursday, but did not yet enter a plea.

An official statement from Omari's publicist said that the 46-year-old actor was against violence on women. According to PEOPLE, his publicist also expressed, "[Omari] was brought up by his mother and grandmother and is the proud father of two minor daughters." Accordingly, Omari has never been violent with any woman in his past.

Contrary to the publicist's statement though, Omari has been accused of domestic violence before by his ex-girlfriends and ex-wives. In fact, his marriage to actress JoNell Kennedy from 2001 to 2006 was rocked by controversy. The "Empire" actor, however, said that he was the one who was abused in the marriage.

Omari continued to say that there was a double standard when it came to domestic abuse cases. He is set to attend another court hearing on April 20. The actor has appeared in other TV series like "Homeland" and "Person of Interest." "Empire" has not released any news about how this will affect the show.