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LOS ANGELES, California (X17online) - NFL linebacker Shawne Merriman was arrested early Sunday morning on suspicion of choking and restraining his girlfriend, Tila Tequila.

Tila claims the Chargers player tried to stop her from leaving his San Diego home after a night out together. Cops responded to a disturbance call at 3:45 am, where Tequila signed a citizens arrest warrant charging Merriman with battery and false imprisonment.

Merriman was arrested and released later in the day, while Tequila was taken to a hospital.

In a statement posted on his Twitter, Merriman says:

On September 6, 2009, the San Diego Sheriffs Department responded to a citizens complaint that was initiated by Tila Nguyen (aka Tila Tequila). I was taken into custody based upon that complaint. At the time, I was concerned about her welfare given the intoxicated state she appeared to be in and I encouraged her to stay until safe transportation could be provided. We would all do our best to help a friend if we considered their actions to be detrimental to their personal safety. I in no way caused any harm to Ms Nguyen, however, paramedics were called and she was examined but no injuries were reported. She was released and has since returned to Los Angeles, California. There have been no charges filed against me. I want to thank the San Diego Sheriffs Department for their professionalism. I will continue to cooperate fully with the Department and I look forward to clearing my name regarding these false allegations. I want to put this behind me so I can continue to focus on a successful season for the San Diego Chargers.

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LOS ANGELES, California (X17online) - Yesterday afternoon Casey Johnson's close friends Nicky Hilton and Bijou Phillips stopped by Tila Tequila's Hollywood home to pick up the late heiress' dogs and some of her belongings, and Tila made it very clear that she was not pleased about the situation.

Not only did she cry and vent her frustration to police on the scene, but the reality TV starlet told X17online exclusively that she feared Hilton and Phillips were going to put Johnson's poodle Zoey to sleep, as the late heiress apparently wished that the elderly dog be buried with her in the event of her death.

Click here to see Tila's exclusive interview with X17online

Bijou joined Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie for a meeting at Nicky's house on Tuesday, and it seems like removing the dog and most of Johnson's belongings was their way of honoring her wishes. When asked if they had plans to put the dog to sleep, Phillips shook her head, and while Tila helped the girls load up Hilton's black Range Rover, you could easily see the tension between the three of them.

Click here to see X17online's photos of Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie meeting at Nicky's house earlier this week

Tila sat down with X17online and gave a heartwrenching message to her late fiancee, and she also discussed how she was holding up after her passing. This is the first time she's spoken out since Johnson was found dead in her Hollywood home on Monday morning.

Click here for all of X17online's Tila Tequila stories

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LOS ANGELES, California (X17online) - Since the death of her beloved fiancee Casey Johnson, reality TV starlet Tila Tequila has not been afraid to share her heartache and true feelings on her blog and her Twitter page. While she has spent a fair amount of time defending herself, it's also pretty clear that she's mourning the loss of her lover and she even suggests that she's being singled out and demonized by some of Johnson's friends and family.

On Twitter Tila talks about seeing Johnson in her dreams, how she's being bullied by gossip blogs and how she's been hounded by the paparazzi over the past few days. She also alleges that Johnson's childhood friends Nicky Hilton and Bijou Phillips have already put the late heiress' dog to sleep! Tila wrote, "Wanna know if the Dog is dead? Why don't u ask [Nicky] & the family. Trust me. They already killed the dog. Sad."

Tila also blogs and tweets about Courteney Semel and Jasmine Lennard, the ladies who she claims ruined her and Casey's lives, and she also address the fact that some people want to place some of the blame for Casey's death on her. Tila says, "It's funny how when something traumatic happens, people LOVE to find someone to blame. So predictable. What-EV-Errrrrr!"

So what does Tila have to say about Casey's family? Tila claims that they were never there for her, and she doesn't agree with their decision to cut the heiress off, which was apparently a desperate attempt to get the troubled party girl to clean up her act. Tila tweets, "[Casey] was broke? yes Y? cuz her own family cut her off. Who was there for her? I WAS! I took care of EVERYTHING! While her "friends" used her! Call me whatever U want but u know damn well that I have my business shit on lock & very savvy. I took care of her when her family did NOT!"

When Nicky and Bijou stopped by Tila's home on Wednesday, Tila became extremely distraught when the girls took Casey's personal items and her dogs, and she posted this message on her official blog:

"YES, THEY WERE MOSTLY LOOKING FOR THE POOR PUP CUZ THEY WERE, WELL ALREADY HAVE KILLED THE DOG BY THE TIME I POST THIS, JUST SO THEY CAN BURY THE DOG WITH CASEY! SICK! IF CASEY'S FAMILY MEMBERS CAME OVER, THEY WOULD HAVE MORE RIGHT TO SPEAK TO ME AND ASK TO TAKE STUFF THAT BELONGED TO CASEY AND MYSELF, BUT INSTEAD THEY SEND OVER RANDOM PEOPLE [Nicky and Bijou] TO TAKE IT. WHY DIDN'T THE FAMILY COME INSTEAD IF THEY HAD ANY CLASS? THEY TOLD ME THAT THE FAMILY WANTED TO COME AND TALK TO ME AND TAKE A LOOK AT HOW THE LAST MOMENTS OF WHAT CASEY'S WORLD WAS LIKE...SO THEY PRETTY MUCH LIED TO ME SO THAT I WOULD LET THEM IN!! TO MAKE IT WORSE? LOOK AT THEIR STONE COLD FACES. AFTER I HELPED THEM PACK THE STUFF AND PACK IT, THEY JUST DROVE OFF, NO "THANK U FOR YOUR HELP" NO NOTHING. JUST GRABBED THE SHIT, AS IF I STOLE IT AND DROVE OFF! REMEMBER, I WAS THE ONE WHO CALLED THE POLICE AND THE POLICE WAS THERE TO PROTECT ME AND WAS ON MY SIDE! JUST BECAUSE PEOPLE THINK THEY ARE RICH THAT DOES NOT GIVE THEM RIGHTS TO TREAT OTHERS LIKE A GABAGE CAN!

THAT PROVES ONE THING, MONEY CAN NEVER BUY YOU CLASS!"

While this is a very sad time for everyone involved in the drama, it does seem a little bit high school to us - it's almost as though the Hilton sisters, Bijou and Nicole Richie are trying to tell us something by showing us that they aren't supporting Tila. Perhaps they believe that she may not have been the most positive influence on Casey, who was clearly struggling to get her life back in order?

Click here to see Tila's exclusive interview with X17online, along with footage of Nicky and Bijou leaving her house with Casey's dogs and personal items

Just a few hours ago, Tila tweeted that she will write a tell-all blog about "what really went down that they don't want u to know!" Should be interesting to see what bombs she's going to drop on us...

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