San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman was arrested early Sunday morning (September 6) for allegedly choking and restraining 4'11" MTV reality star, Tila Tequila, who is said to be his girlfriend.

According to reports, police received a call at around 3:45 a.m. from Tila (born Tila Nguyen), who said she had been choked and restrained by Shawne as she tried to leave his home in San Diego County.

Tila signed a citizen's arrest when police arrived at the scene, followed by Merriman being taken into custody on suspicion of battery and false imprisonment.

Nguyen was transported to a local hospital. Her condition was not immediately known at press time.

Tila--best known for her MTV dating reality show, "A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila"--regularly updates fans on Twitter (@OfficialTila) throughout the day. While she's yet to mention the incident, she did tweet about going to meet Merriman on Saturday (September 5).

Merriman is entering his fifth year with the Chargers. The team begins its 2009 NFL regular-season campaign on September 14 in Oakland, California, for a game against the Raiders.

In July, Merriman's former girlfriend, ex-video vixen Gloria Velez, aired him out on satellite radio, claiming he consistently lied to her about wanting to commit, but then changed his tune.

Velez also accused him of hooking up with Tila Tequila while they were still dating.