49ers defensive end Ray McDonald will not be charged in connection with the alleged domestic violence incident for which he was arrested back in late August. As CBS 5 reports, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office failed to gather enough evidence to prosecute McDonald following the incident that left his pregnant fiancée visibly injured.
The arrest happened at 2:45 a.m. on August 31 in San Jose, and McDonald posted bail later that morning. The 49ers subsequently faced pressure to discipline McDonald amid a national outcry following domestic violence charges against Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice.
The Santa Clara DA, however, now reveals the reason they've struggled a bit with the case: a previous incident in May during which McDonald's fiancée may have pulled a gun on him. Because of "the severity of that allegation, she was going to take the Fifth Amendment in this case and was not going to cooperate with the prosecution," reports CBS reports, and without her cooperation, the DA's case pretty much falls apart.
Now that there won't be any official charges against McDonald, even though it still seems pretty clear that something violent happened in that house on August 31, the 49ers are able to say "there will be no change in Ray’s status with the team."
Previously: Amid Pressure To Discipline Ray McDonald After Domestic Violence Arrest, 49ers Jed York Says They're Holding Off
Ray McDonald Case in Santa Clara DA's Hands; Is He Still Playing?