MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A violent altercation at a high-end South Beach hotel led to the arrest of a bouncer and sent a man to the hospital, and police said it all started with a dispute over dress code.
According to Miami Beach Police, the confrontation took place at the entrance of the Nautilus Hotel along Collins Avenue, near 18th Street, at around 1 a.m., Sunday.
Investigators said a man and a woman, who were visiting South Florida from Michigan, were entering the lobby when they were stopped by the security guard.
Cellphone and surveillance video captured the chilling moments when the bouncer, identified as 39-year-old Marc Denis Vallin, slammed the 34-year-old man’s head into the glass entrance door before kicking him while he was lying on the floor.
“This apparently started over a dispute regarding dress code,” said Miami Beach Police Officer Ernesto Rodriguez. “It’s very troubling video.”
The woman in the incident said the dispute began over the men’s Gucci slides her boyfriend was wearing.
What wasn’t caught on camera, investigators said, was a moment beforehand, when Vallin threw the woman down a set of stairs inside the hotel.
“When her boyfriend went to help her, the security guard picks him up and is basically dragging him to the door, the front entrance of the building, said Rodriguez. “[The guard] slams his head into that door. You can hear the bang.”
Marc Vallin, 39, is charged w/2 counts of aggravated battery for what police say he did to a Michigan couple last wknd at the Nautilis Hotel. He allegedly threw a woman down stairs, slammed a man’s head into a door then kicked that man in the head while down. @wsvn #Exclusive pic.twitter.com/AEE0vgClJo
— Sheldon Fox-7 News (@fox_sheldon) February 5, 2021
But that wasn’t the end of the ordeal. Once the man was down on the floor, police said, the bouncer struck him.
“Possibly most troubling is, once he’s down on the ground, he kicks him across the head,” said Rodriguez.
Moments later, surveillance video shows the woman running after the bouncer and tackling his from behind. She said she was also kicked when she fell to the ground.
The male victim was taken to Mount Sinai Medical Center, where he was treated for a concussion.
Vallin, who stands 6 feet, 2 inches tall and weighs around 200 pounds, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with two felony counts of aggravated battery.
The couple have since returned to Michigan. The woman said her boyfriend is still suffering nearly a week after the incident.
According to 7News sources, Vallin is not a hotel employee but was working as a contracted employee for an event.
Friday afternoon, Quadrum Global, the company that owns the Nautilus, released a statement that reads in part, “Following the incident, we immediately severed ties with the suspect’s employer — a third-party event organizer — and have worked closely with the authorities in their ongoing investigation of the incident.”
As of Friday evening, Vallin has not returned any of 7News’ messages.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.