Professional boxer Ryan Garcia was reportedly apprehended on charges of felony vandalism at the Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills on a Saturday, as detailed by TMZ Sports [1].
Footage obtained by TMZ Sports depicted Garcia being escorted from the hotel in handcuffs, although his face remained unseen in the video, revealing only his distinctive back tattoos. The arrest allegedly stemmed from Garcia causing damage to his hotel room and the surrounding hallway.
Ryan Garcia was arrested for felony vandalism at the Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills on Saturday afternoon. Law enforcement sources say he trashed his room/hallway at the luxury hotel. Here was Ryan being taken away by BHPD.
It’s been a roller coaster couple of months for… pic.twitter.com/BhUgRo4Dzi [2]
— michael j. babcock (@mikejbabcock) June 9, 2024 [3]
Despite the circumstances, Garcia reportedly cooperated with law enforcement officers during his arrest and complied without resistance. TMZ Sports indicated that Garcia may have appeared to be under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs at the time of the incident.
In California, vandalism can escalate to a felony offense if the damage exceeds $400, a point highlighted by TMZ Sports. Earlier in the week, a family member purportedly requested a “wellness check” on Garcia while he was staying at the Waldorf Astoria. Responding officers determined that Garcia posed no danger to himself or others, thus concluding their intervention without further action.
This incident came on the heels of Garcia sharing his mother’s breast cancer diagnosis on social media, a development confirmed by her subsequent post on Instagram. Concerns regarding Garcia’s mental health had previously surfaced when the New York State Athletic Commission demanded a mental health evaluation before his Brooklyn fight in April, citing his erratic online behavior.
Following the required evaluation, which reportedly included brain function testing and a competency [4] assessment, Garcia was cleared to proceed with the fight. However, issues arose when he failed to meet the weight requirement for the WBC junior welterweight title match against Devin Haney, ultimately exceeding the limit by three pounds.
Despite the weight discrepancy, Garcia secured a surprising victory over Haney through a majority decision. Nevertheless, post-fight drug testing revealed the presence of a performance-enhancing substance in Garcia’s system, prompting ongoing scrutiny and claims from his legal team of contamination from supplements.
As of the latest update on May 23, the matter pertaining to the reported positive test results remained unresolved, with Garcia reportedly in police custody, as outlined by TMZ Sports.