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Khalil Lee, an outfielder on the Mets’ 40-man roster, has been accused of physical and verbal abuse by his ex-girlfriend, according to a lawsuit filed on Wednesday.
Syracuse police issued a warrant for Lee, 24, on the charge of criminal obstruction of breath, Syracuse.com reported. A lawsuit was also filed in the Northern District of New York that named Lee on allegations that he abused his former girlfriend — including allegedly kicking her to the ground and choking her — while playing for the Triple-A Syracuse Mets last season.
Major League Baseball has opened an investigation to look into the allegations.
“The Mets immediately notified MLB upon becoming aware of the allegations,” the team said in a statement. “We will fully comply with MLB’s policy and cannot comment until the completion of the league’s investigative process.”
Keriwyn Hill, Lee’s ex-girlfriend, claimed in the lawsuit that in May of 2022, Lee assaulted her by pulling on her hair and “chok[ing] her neck with his hands to the point that she could not breathe or speak for a brief period,” which left multiple bruises and marks on her body.
The Mets acquired Lee in February 2021 in a three-way trade from the Royals. He has played 13 games with the Mets over the last two seasons while spending the bulk of his time at Triple-A Syracuse, where he was expected to start this season.
Lee and Hill met on social media in May 2021 while Lee was with the Mets, according to the lawsuit, and began a relationship that ended in the fall of 2021, though they continued to communicate in the following months.
Then in May 2022, Lee allegedly suggested that Hill fly to Syracuse, where he told her that he wanted to start up their relationship again.
The night after she got there, Hill allegedly saw what appeared to be an intimate text conversation with another woman, which led to an argument in which Lee allegedly kicked her in the thigh and made her fall down, according to the lawsuit.
After Lee allegedly taunted her and called her ugly, Hill slapped him in the cheek and walked away before Lee grabbed her braids and “yanked her backward” against the kitchen island, the lawsuit claims.
Hill claimed that she then felt Lee’s hand around her neck for around 10 to 15 seconds and she could not breathe or speak to get him to stop, according to the suit.
The lawsuit also claimed that Lee, minutes later, asked Hill, “How much is this going to cost to go away?”
The next morning, Hill provided a report to the Syracuse police station about the incident, the lawsuit said.
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