SAN DIEGO -- A former professional football player who allegedly attacked his girlfriend in San Diego on two occasions in 2005 must stand trial on assault with a deadly weapon and other charges, a judge ruled Wednesday.

Lawrence Phillips, 33, fled to Los Angeles after the charges were filed, and he was subsequently arrested for deliberately driving a car into three teenagers following a dispute during a pickup football game.

In October 2006, Phillips was convicted in Los Angeles of assault with a deadly weapon and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

In the San Diego case, Judge John Einhorn ruled at the conclusion of a preliminary hearing that enough evidence had been presented to order Phillips to stand trial on June 29.

If convicted, the defendant faces 20 years behind bars.

At Phillips' April 13 arraignment, prosecutor Nicole Cooper alleged that the defendant assaulted and choked his 28-year-old girlfriend into unconsciousness on Aug. 2, 2005, in Mission Valley, causing great bodily injury to the victim.

Phillips is also charged with domestic violence, false imprisonment and tampering with a phone line.

He faces similar charges for allegedly assaulting the same woman 11 days later, the prosecutor said.

Phillips was a star running back at the University of Nebraska in 1995 before being suspended from the team for assaulting his college girlfriend. He pleaded no contest and was sentenced to a year on probation.

The St. Louis Rams selected Phillips sixth in the 1996 NFL draft. He went on to play for the Miami Dolphins and the San Francisco 49ers.