Rick Schroder Not Charged in First DV Case, GF Said 'Big Misunderstanding'

Rick Schroder allegedly hit his girlfriend in the face and grabbed her hair during his first felony domestic violence arrest, and yet he wasn't charged -- because she refused to work with cops ... TMZ has learned.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, Schroder's GF called 911 after they had an altercation on April 2 over a video Schroder found on her phone. She told cops he asked her to leave his home and she agreed, but when she went to grab her belongings, he got violent.

She claimed Schroder grabbed her hair and blocked her from the bedroom, then hit her on the face when she tried to get away and she fell on the kitchen table.

Cops on the scene say they saw some redness and swelling on her right cheek, but she refused medical treatment and became "extremely uncooperative and refused to answer any further questions."

Schroder's GF also refused to allow officers to take any photos and stated she didn't want the "NYPD Blue" star arrested.

According to the docs ... officers followed up with her 2 days later and she told them the incident was "a big misunderstanding" and she didn't want to press charges. As we reported, the L.A. Country D.A.'s Office declined to prosecute -- on April 22 -- due to her lack of cooperation ... along with Schroder denying the assault and a lack of sufficient evidence.

Worth noting ... prosecutors don't need the victim's cooperation to charge a domestic violence suspect. Nor does the lack of photos of her injuries necessarily sink the case ... especially if officers have seen the injuries and can testify to them.

We broke the story ... Schroder was arrested again at his home this week and once again booked him for felony domestic violence on the same girlfriend.