Australian tennis star, Bernard Tomic, has spoken out after his arrest saying the incident “was definitely my fault.”
The 22-year-old was arrested by Florida police after they responded to hotel security, who claim he became “aggressive and belligerent” when asked to turn his music down.
The tennis player was hosting a party at his penthouse suite in a Miami Beach hotel when hotel security approached him and asked him to lower the volume of his music.
“I was asleep on several occasions when they complained at first, but you know, it was just a noise complaint. I’m sorry for the police and the disturbance I caused,” said Tomic in a reportedly paid interview with Channel Seven.
“I’m just happy I got out, and no one got hurt.”
The tennis star was arrested and charged overnight after police were forced to break up his Miami penthouse party.
The police report states that Tomic allegedly “pointed his finger aggressively towards the hotel security officers and continued to play loud music”, prompting hotel staff to call the police to take further action.
When the police arrived, they also attempted to persuade Tomic to turn the music down, but he allegedly became aggressive towards the officers and refused to leave the suite despite being told he was evicted, after which he was arrested.
Once arrested, Tomic was then charged with trespassing and resisting arrest without violence.
A spokesperson for the Miami Police Department has said that it is possible that Tomic could face jail time over his actions.
“Miami Beach is a unique town. People want to come here but sometimes people drink a little bit too much and make bad decisions,” said Detective Vivian Thayer to 3AW, “They’re both misdemeanours, and unfortunately he will have to come back at a later date to deal with that in the court system. At that point, it’ll be either up to him or his attorney to come before a judge.”
This charge, however, is not Tomic’s first.
In 2013, he had his license revoked after being caught speeding in his Ferrari on the Gold Coast, and in 2012, police launched an investigation into his action after he was caught in the midst of a brawl in a Gold Coast spa. Tomic also allegedly resisted the police officers again in this instance, asking them if they knew “who he was”.
Australian tennis legend, Pat Rafter, has spoken out about the event, claiming that Tomic has “hit rock bottom”.
“It looks like overnight he’s probably hit rock bottom,” he told 2GB, “Hopefully when people hit rock bottom, they can turn things around.”
Rafter also decided to drop Tomic from the Davis Cup team, of which Rafter is captain. The match was set to be played today.
Tennis Australia president Steve Healy also commented on Tomic’s actions, describing them as “sad”.
“He’s making some very poor decisions,” Healy told 3AW, “He is a phenomenal talent … and he’s still only 22. If he gets his act together, his head together and gets himself fit, he’s going to use that talent and do very well. It’s not too late for him to turn around public opinion.”
“He’s got some bad people around him that he needs to look at,” he said, “He needs to listen. We want to help and we’ve got people who can help if he’s prepared to listen.”
