Video showing drunk University of Connecticut ‘mac and cheese’ student getting arrested goes viral
Fed-up staff are seen to tackle and restrain the student after his lengthy altercation with the restaurant's general manager
Your support helps us to tell the story
As your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.
Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn't have the resources to challenge those in power.
Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November election
![Head shot of Andrew Feinberg](https://static.independent.co.uk/static-assets/support-us/andrew-feinberg.png)
Andrew Feinberg
White House Correspondent
We all know the feeling: it’s late, you’re drunk, you’re hungry, and all you want is some bacon, jalapeño mac and cheese. But what do we not do? Abuse the restaurant staff. Why? Because it’ll get you arrested.
And that is exactly what happened to one US student who decided to take the bold step of beginning a dispute with an employee at his student union after being refused service for being drunk and drinking while underage on the premises.
Having been caught on camera at the University of Connecticut’s (UConn) Union Street Market, the clip of the incident has gone viral, quickly racking up close to three million views in just three days.
According to UConn’s student newspaper, The Daily Campus, and Connecticut daily, Hartford Courant, the student involved is 19-year-old Luke Gatti who is seen in the clip arguing with the manager, swearing – and even shoving him several times.
Watch the incident unfold (Warning – contains explicit language throughout):
When Gatti realises he is being filmed, he tells the manager: “This is going to be posted somewhere and you’re gonna look like a f***ing tool. ‘Cause you’re a f***ing fag. Your job is a f***ing joke.”
At over nine minutes long, other students interfere in an attempt to calm the student, originally from Bayville in New York, down. Becoming physical with them as well, fed-up staff eventually tackle the student to the ground and sit on him until police arrive at the scene.
According to The Daily Campus and Hartford Courant, Gatti was arrested following the incident and charged with breach of peace in the second degree and criminal trespass in the first degree. He will appear in court on 13 October.
The Hartford Courant added that attempts to reach Gatti at the university and at his family’s home were unsuccessful. However, a UConn spokeswoman told the site: “Any UConn student found to have violated the provisions of the Student Code may face penalties imposed by the Division of Student Affairs that range from probation to expulsion.”
US media reports claim that Gatti was arrested twice before – last year – on disorderly conduct charges while studying at the University of Massachusetts.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments