Reds minor leaguer accused of hitting girlfriend with rock

Glendale police arrested a Cincinnati Reds minor-league prospect early Saturday morning after he was accused of knocking his girlfriend unconscious with a large rock outside a restaurant near 51st Avenue and Thunderbird Road, court records show.

Tanner Jeremy Rahier, 21, denied throwing rocks at the woman and told investigators he did not know her, according to a probable cause statement.

Rahier was booked into jail on suspicion of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and assault with intent to injure. He has since been released.

Glendale police say Rahier got into an argument with a bartender at Pullano's Pizza and refused to pay his tab. Rahier's girlfriend led him outside, where he began arguing with her.

Rahier started throwing rocks at his girlfriend, police said. One rock, about 8-inches in diameter, reportedly hit the woman on the left side of her head, caused a deep cut and knocked her unconscious, according to the probable cause statement.

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Rahier ran from the scene, but police apprehended him close to the restaurant, said Sgt. David Vidaure, a Glendale police spokesman.

Emergency crews transported the woman to the hospital, where she underwent tests and doctors said she may need stitches, police said. She told investigators she'd been dating Rahier for about a month and that their relationship was non-sexual, records show.

Glendale police said that Rahier, who had previously been arrested in Oklahoma for public intoxication, was under the influence when the incident occurred.

The Reds chose Rahier, a California native, in the second round of the 2012 draft, according to the Minor League Baseball website, MiLB.com. Last year, the right-handed third baseman played for the Dayton Dragons of the Midwest League and hit for a .238 average with 9 home runs and 54 runs batted in.

The Reds' spring training facilities are located in Goodyear. A spokesman for the team declined to comment on the incident.

Casey and MacDonald-Evoy write for the Cinncinati Enquirer, a Gannett property