R&B singer and former Dancing with the Stars contestant Mario has been charged with assaulting his mother at their Baltimore, Maryland home.
Officers were called to a high-rise apartment complex in the Fells Point neighborhood early Friday, where police say Shawntia Hardaway told officers her 24-year-old son, Mario Barrett, was “throwing and damaging property,” in their apartment.
Hardaway also said her son “started yelling at her and he used his hands and forearms and pushed her in the chest and shoulder area causing minor pain and discomfort,” according to police reports.
Mario was arrested after Hardaway said she feared for her life and police discovered a “severely damaged” china cabinet, a broken mirror, a busted door and “a lot of glass lying on the floor” when they entered the apartment.
Barrett’s attorney, William “Hassan” Murphy III, calls it “an unfortunate incident” between a loving son and a mother who has had drug problems.
“Anyone who has waged the battle to save loved ones from the forces of drugs knows the irrational behavior that almost always accompanies their actions. Despite the allegations, Mario remains committed to supporting his mother,” Murphy said on Saturday.
Barrett, who appeared in an MTV special in which he staged an intervention for his heroin-addicted mother, was charged with second-degree assault and released on $50,000 bond.
Check out video from the 2007 documentary I Won’t Love You to Death: The Story of Mario and His Mom below: