Hotel hijinks highlight busy weekend by the bay

Sunday March 2

A valiant valet

12:22 a.m., 100 Marina View Drive

Fight: By the time officers arrived at the Westin Hotel, all parties involved in a scuffle had separated. Officers spoke with the complainant, a valet attendant, who said he arrived at the fight scene after it had already begun and two men were engaged in fisticuffs. Turning referee, the valet said he managed to separate the combatants and both had left the scene.

An officer spoke to one subject who said there were four people in his group and, after leaving the rooftop bar, one of his friends became belligerent to people around him and was heckling those in the other party’s vehicle. One man exited the vehicle, he said, and after a verbal confrontation, eventually threw the first punch. At that point, the valet said he was trying to exercise diplomacy and bring the skirmish to a peaceful end. 

Officers then spoke with the man who made first physical contact, advising the agitator "smacked" the side of his vehicle, the handprint remaining visible. He added while he was fighting with the man, other members of his group punched and kicked him. Although suffering a small laceration on his ear, the man was seeking to achieve detente by declining to press charges. He said he did not want to create trouble for his former foes, adding it was “just a fight.”

No further action was taken.

A woman scorned

6:39 p.m., 1200 block of North Palm Avenue

Disturbance: Responding to a miscellaneous call for service, an officer made contact with a man at the Art Ovation Hotel who explained that five hours earlier his girlfriend had left him at the hotel. He said nothing had happened and was not sure why she left, adding he wanted to return home to Fort Pierce and did not want to stay in the hotel for the night.

The man later revealed his girlfriend was upset with him for something that occurred earlier at the hotel pool “involving other females,” according to the report, but denied anything had happened. He then told officers he wanted them to find his girlfriend and arrest her for DUI, alleging she was driving after drinking. Quickly pivoting to his desire for reconciliation, he then said he was hopeful she would return to the hotel to be with him for the night. 

The woman was not located and whether she returned to the hotel later was not documented in the incident report.

Monday, March 3

Abandoned at the hotel

9:43 p.m., 1000 Boulevard of the Arts

Disturbance: Responding officers arrived at the Hyatt Regency Hotel where they made contact with a woman locked outside of her room. She advised an argument had ensued with her boyfriend just 30 minutes prior, and both had separated for the night.

Once access to the room was provided by hotel staff, officers observed glass from a picture frame on the wall shattered on the floor. Food that appeared to be thrown was also stuck on the walls of the room. The woman stated she and the man were arguing over her parents being in town and his boat, which was docked at the hotel’s pier, being dirty. It was not specified whether the woman’s parents were responsible for the soiled condition of the boat.

An officer received the man’s cell phone number from the woman and, when contacted, said he was no longer at the hotel and was on foot several blocks away. The officer inquired about the broken glass on the floor, for which he blamed the woman. He added he would not return to the hotel and he would be taking his boat home to Saint Petersburg. 

Advised of this, the woman packed her belongings and hailed a ride to take her back home, also in St. Petersburg. She said they do not share a residence and she would be safe at her home.