A 36-year-old man was arrested after refusing to leave a table at an Italian restaurant inside a Miami hotel on Saturday morning, in an ordeal that stretched roughly two hours and ended with police using a Taser on him at least three times outside the building. Richard James Scott sat down at table 10 inside Primo's Italian Restaurant on North Bayshore Drive, demanded water, gave the owner a credit card that did not work, and then told him to charge a drink to his hotel room instead, according to the restaurant's owner.
Owner Ugo Patierno recounted the confrontation to WSVN, saying Scott refused to listen, insulted him and police, and wanted to fight both him and his wife. Primo's operates inside the DoubleTree by Hilton Grand Hotel Biscayne Bay on North Bayshore Drive, part of The Grand Condominium complex, according to the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau. Patierno said he was scared during the encounter because Scott was a large man and he dislikes fights, according to the same account relayed to the station.
A Bizarre Claim and a Stranger's Rolls-Royce
According to the station's report, Scott ordered a shot of Bacardi rum and then ran off without paying. He was not a guest at the DoubleTree, the restaurant said. At one point, Scott told Patierno his room number was 666 and claimed to be the son of God, while at another point he was seen sitting in his seat with a towel on his head, per the same reporting.
Scott eventually left the hotel and headed toward an orange Rolls-Royce parked outside, according to WSVN's account. He touched the car and tried to open its door, then attempted to enter it from the passenger side, prompting the vehicle's actual owner to arrive on scene as Scott claimed the car was his.
Police Response and Use of Force
City of Miami police officers arrived at the restaurant and escorted Scott out, telling him to calm down after he tried to open the car door again, per the reporting. Two officers ultimately subdued Scott on the ground and placed him in handcuffs. Police used a Taser on him at least three times during the takedown, according to the station's account. Standard electrical-weapon training generally instructs officers to use five-second cycles and discourages more than three discharges unless further force is necessary to gain control, according to a 2015 report from CBS News.
Charges and What Happens Next
Scott was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami on Saturday and charged with disorderly conduct and trespassing after a warning, the station reported. Trespassing in a structure after being warned to leave is a second-degree misdemeanor under Florida law, punishable by up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. Disorderly conduct carries the same maximum jail term under a separate statute covering acts that disturb the public peace.
Florida law also gives restaurant and hotel operators the authority to detain disruptive patrons or call police to remove them, with statutory immunity from civil liability for lawful detentions, according to the Law Office of Ryan N. Yadav. As of the WSVN report, Scott had not posted bond. Anyone booked into Miami-Dade County custody is entitled to a first appearance hearing before a judge within 24 hours of arrest to evaluate charges and bond conditions, per Florida legal guidance, though it remains unclear whether Scott's bond will be modified. Once a defendant does post bail in Miami-Dade, release processing from the county jail typically takes between 8 and 15 hours, according to bail bond industry estimates.
Despite the ordeal, Patierno told the station he forgives Scott for the incident. Video captured Scott berating the restaurant owner and bystanders outside the hotel during the confrontation, and it remains unclear what led to his erratic behavior that morning.
