Late-night fight night in downtown Sarasota

Friday, July 17

Charged up over beer

3:16 a.m., address redacted

Disturbance: After a man was informed he could not purchase alcohol because of the late hour, he asked a convenience store employee if he could charge his phone. The employee said he became visibly agitated when they didn't have the right kind of charging cord. Whether that frustration was over the charger or the fact that he was not permitted to purchase beer is unknown.

The subject proceeded to walk behind the counter where he continued to express his frustration, at which point he was told to vacate the store. 

The subject exited the store but lingered in the parking lot, prompting the complainant to order him off the property, a report said. The situation escalated into a brief shoving match. 

A Sarasota Police officer who responded to the scene located the subject across North Tamiami Trail from the establishment and, per the employee’s request, told him he was trespassed from the property and a one-year ban was in effect. The officer then provided the subject, who has a Bradenton address, a courtesy transport to a location in the 7200 block of North Tamiami Trail, outside the jurisdiction of the SPD.

Sunday, July 19

He said; they said

1:27 a.m., 1400 block of Main Street

Battery: Officers were flagged down about a kerfuffle outside a late-night watering hole where a man advised he had been battered by a group of four women while walking on the sidewalk. He pointed toward two of them, who were stopped and interviewed.

The man alleged the women punched him approximately eight times in the face and tried to kick him in the groin area as he was innocently walking by, and that one of them punched his girlfriend, who confirmed his claim.

The alleged attackers insisted the man started the fracas by punching one of them first, and he was hurting their feelings by calling them names. One of of them objected to a derogatory slur and claimed he then pushed her to the ground. The other subject did not allege the man struck her, but she heard him call the group “fat” and saw him hit her friend.

Interviewing security personnel at two establishments did not provide further clarity, a report said. They confirmed the physical altercation, but not what instigated the brouhaha. None of the individuals involved complained of injuries and all parties left the scene without further incident. 

Only one-half hour later

2:09 a.m., 1500 block of Main Street

Fight: A second incident of late-night Main Street fisticuffs involved several revelers outside another downtown establishment. In this case, a woman advised she and her companions were confronted by several subjects when a female subject spoke to her, which, according to the incident report, “was misunderstood by the subject’s girlfriend.”

What resulted was a chaotic scene with others joining the fray and conflicting statements regarding the incident. Officers attempted to question multiple witnesses, but none said they saw the flashpoint. There were also no cameras available to record the incident and, at the time of the investigation, no means to determine the instigator. The case remained open in the event of more evidence becoming available.