A former UConn student who was taken into custody after a profanity-laced tirade over jalapeno-bacon macaroni-and-cheese at a dining hall last fall has been arrested again, accused of assaulting a police officer at a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility in Florida.
Police said 20-year-old Luke Gatti was going through treatment for alcohol and drugs and struck an officer who was trying to take him into custody for his own safety.
Police responded to Wellness Resources Center in Boca Raton, Florida around 4:15 p.m. on May 27 and staff members told them Gatti was going through withdrawals when he arrived from the Sunrise Detox Center. When doctors denied him medication for the withdrawals, Gatti said he wanted to leave the facility. He was agitated and said he couldn’t handle the pain anymore, police said.
Gatti walked out of the facility without shoes, leaving his belongings behind.
When he returned nearly two hours later, he was angry and agitated and screamed at staff members to give him his property back, according to the police report.
Gatti also told authorities he didn’t care if he got hurt or hurt himself and wanted to be left alone, according to police.
When he walked away, police decide to take him into custody because of the condition he was in. At that point, Gatti struggled, hit an officer tried to break free of the officer’s grip, according to police.
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After police threatened to use a stun gun, Gatti stopped struggling and police placed handcuffs on him.
Police charged Gatti with resisting an officer and battery on a police officer for pulling away from and hitting the officer who was trying to take him into custody.
When he was in the back of the police car, Gatti made suicidal statements and said. “I just want to die,” according to the police report.
He said he needs drugs and alcohol to feel better, always has suicidal thought and dreams of people hurting him, police said. Then asked the officer to do him a favor and shoot him, the police report says.
Gatti made national news after video surfaced on YouTube last fall that appeared to show him confronting the market manager because he wanted bacon-jalapeno mac and cheese, then shoving the man several times as apparent students tried to intervene.
It went on to show a staff member at the market eventually wrestle Gatti to the ground and detain him and police arrived.
Gatti, who is no longer enrolled at UConn, issued a public apology after the incident in Storrs and was granted accelerated rehabilitation, a form of probation that means the case will be expunged from Gatti's record if he avoids any legal trouble and complies with random drug tests.
Gatti was originally charged with misdemeanor breach of peace and trespassing.
