HGTV Star Tarek El Moussa Cited After Physical Fight in Las Vegas: Report
Tarek El Moussa’s recent visit to Las Vegas turned violent when he got into a physical altercation with another man at a popular casino, according to a report.
Tarek El Moussa was defending his elderly father, source says
The HGTV personality was at The Palazzo at the Venetian on June 5 when he allegedly knocked out the other man with a knee to the head, TMZ reports. A source told the outlet that Tarek, 43, was defending his elderly father.
Police were called to the scene, and the Flip or Flop star was issued a citation for battery but was not arrested. The victim – whom a source told TMZ was “seriously roughed up” – apparently refused medical attention.
An Instagram post from Tarek’s wife, Heather Rae El Moussa, confirms she was recently in Las Vegas with her husband and their parents. Tarek was in town to give a keynote address at the JCK Luxury show, an event for people in the jewelry business.
“Not our average Vegas trip…,” Heather captioned the post. “Watched Tarek do his thing on stage (so proud!) and made it extra special by bringing our parents along for the ride.
“We got to show them a glimpse behind the scenes — our world, our work, and of course, the glam,” she added. “Grateful for these moments that we get to spend together.”
The HGTV star’s 2016 encounter with police led to the end of his first marriage
The Las Vegas incident is not Tarek’s first encounter with the police. In 2016, his then-wife Christina Haack called 911 after Tarek left their Orange County home with a gun following a major argument. She feared he might be suicidal. He later said he just wanted to go for a walk in the state park near their home and took the gun with him for protection. In his 2024 book Flip Your Life, he said he was stunned when he was confronted by police officers in a helicopter who ordered him to put his hands in the air.
“For the next several hours, I sat on a cooler on my driveway, handcuffed,” he wrote of the incident, which happened shortly before he and Christina announced their divorce. “That was the very last time we were together as a family: with Christina walking down the driveway, crying, and me sitting there in handcuffs, asking myself, What in the world is going on?”
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