Game Of Thrones And Scorpion Actor Arrested For Allegedly Assaulting Girlfriend

Rakharo (Elyes Gabel) looks up in Game of Thrones

Elyes Gabel, known for his roles on shows like Game of Thrones and Scorpion, has been arrested for alleged assault against his girlfriend. The incident reportedly took place last week, and Gabel was charged with five misdemeanors and one violation, with the top charge being one count of assault with intent to cause physical injury. Gabel has since denied the allegations.

Details of the incident were recently confirmed by E! News, which managed to obtain a copy of the misdemeanor report. According to the outlet, Elyes Gabel is also charged with attempted assault with intent to cause physical injury, aggravated harassment, recklessly causing physical injury to another person, criminal obstruction of breathing and harassment in the second degree. Per the original misdemeanor complaint, the actor’s girlfriend alleges that he “recklessly” injured her and choked her. Gabel's lawyer, Stacey Richman, denied the allegations in a statement shared with the outlet:

Elyes vehemently denies these allegations. While the claims are sensationalistic, they are not accurate. Elyes would never conduct himself in the manner alleged. Nevertheless he will not disparage the complainant and looks forward to the facts emerging through the legal process.

The 38-year-old Elyes Gabel was arrested at The Bowery Hotel around 1 p.m. on May 14. Gabel’s girlfriend, who E! News chose not to name, told police that the actor used both of his hands to “apply pressure” to her neck. With this, she claims he was “forcefully squeezing it,” which reportedly caused “redness and substantial pain.” She also alleged that Gabel spit in her face and said, “I'm going to punch your fucking face in.” The misdemeanor complaint includes other alleged details from the incident:

The defendant, with the intent to harass, annoy, threaten and alarm another person, struck, shoved, kicked and otherwise subjected another person to physical contact thereby causing physical injury to such person and to a family and household member of such person.

The woman also accuses Elyes Gabel of shoving her, which allegedly caused her to fall backward on the couch, per an officer’s report in the complaint. She also says he allegedly took her cell phone from her and cracked it before throwing it onto the ground.

Elyes Gabel previously appeared in several episodes of Game of Thrones between 2011 and 2012, during which he played Rakharo, a Dothraki bodyguard to Emilia Clarke’s Daenerys Targaryen. But his biggest break came in 2014 when he began playing the lead role of genius Walter O’Brien in the CBS action drama Scorpion. Gabel would stay on the show until it was cancelled in 2018 after four seasons. In the world of film, Gabel has also appeared in movies like World War Z and Interstellar.

A judge released Elyes Gabel without bail, according to the Manhattan District Attorney's office. His next court date has been set for July 7.

Erik Swann
Senior Content Producer

Erik Swann is a Senior Content Producer at CinemaBlend. He began working with the publication in 2020 when he was hired as Weekend Editor. Today, he continues to write, edit and handle social media responsibilities over the weekend. On weekdays, he also writes TV and movie-related news and helps out with editing and social media as needed. He graduated from the University of Maryland, where he received a degree in Broadcast Journalism. After shifting into multi-platform journalism, he started working as a freelance writer and editor before joining CB. Covers superheroes, sci-fi, comedy, and almost anything else in film and TV. He eats more pizza than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.