Former University of Massachusetts student Luke Vincent Gatti, 19, is the subject of a viral video in which he is arrested at the University of Connecticut Student Union.
In the video, Gatti, originally from Bayville, New York, is taken into custody at 9:55 p.m. on Sunday after entering the Union Street Market while intoxicated, demanding that employees serve him bacon and jalapeno macaroni and cheese and becoming verbally and physically abusive with staff.
The incident first began when the manager of the Union Street Market refused service to Gatti, due to him drinking alcohol (specifically beer) in the marketplace.
After being asked to leave several times, the situation became physical, with Gatti shoving the manager several times before being detained by staff and led away by UConn police officer James Curtis. He is being charged with second degree breach of peace and criminal trespassing, and is scheduled to appear in court Oct. 13, according to the Daily Hampshire Gazette.
The video of the incident has been picked up internationally by various publications due to its increasing popularity online. Since it was uploaded to YouTube late Monday evening, the original nine-minute video received over 526,000 views in less than 24 hours.
This is not Gatti’s first experience with police. While at UMass, he was arrested twice within the first month back to school in 2014, according to police reports.
On Labor Day weekend, he was arrested on a charge of disorderly conduct after allegedly yelling racial epithets at a police officer, the Gazette reported on Tuesday.
Shortly after, on Sunday, Sept. 14, Gatti was arrested at a party on Phillips St. after refusing to cooperate with officers. He was taken into custody on a charge of disorderly conduct, and received a summons for being a minor in possession of alcohol.
According to the Gazette, upon being taken to the police station in the second incident, Gatti assaulted an officer, gaining another charge for assault and battery on a police officer. The officer involved received a broken hand from the struggle and was out of work for several weeks to recuperate.
Warning: The video contains explicit language.
Shelby Ashline can be reached at [email protected] or followed on Twitter @shelby_ashline.
