FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Police have released bodycam video of a brawl between a hotel employee and a guest at a Fort Lauderdale Beach hotel that led to the employee’s arrest.
Earlier footage was released when civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump tweeted security video of the incident earlier this month.
The more recently released footage is from an officer-worn body camera, and it shows that the hotel employee, Raymond Rachal, appeared to be less than cooperative with police.
This took place at the Best Western Plus along A1A, off Seabreeze Boulevard and just north of Southeast 17th Street, Jan. 19, just before 2 a.m.
Prior to the fight, Rachal is seen on video arguing with police officers because the guest, 37-year-old Jason Rabe, refused to leave the property after being told to do so.
“So now, now it’s my fault,” Rachal said. “Tell him to leave. Tell him to leave. Tell him to leave.”
“Will you shut up?” an officer is heard asking Rachal.
“No, no, no!” said Rachal.
“There’s no one yelling, bro,” an officer said.
Officers eventually told Rabe to leave.
“You’re that guy,” Rabe said to Rachal.
“Come on, man, you gotta go,” said an officer.
Moments later, Rachal is seen waving at Rabe while singing the chorus from “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye.”
While police officers tried to calm Rachal down, Rabe, who, police said, was drunk at the time, refused to leave.
Bodycam video showed Rabe lingering at the lobby entrance.
“Dude, you gotta go. Stop playing that game. You have to leave. Enough,” the officer said.
Rabe walked out of the hotel, but about half an hour later, he came back to the hotel and charged at Rachal.
From hotel security cameras, it showed that Rabe attacked Rachal, who was sitting at his desk. The video also appeared to show that Rachal quickly won the fight.
Another guest who witnessed the fight tried to intervene and called 911. The guest held the phone to Rachal, so the clerk could yell out what happened.
“He’s assaulted me, ran straight towards me. I had to defend myself!” Rachal is heard saying in audio of the call.
When police returned, they saw Rachal on top of Rabe.
Although Rachal was able to get Rabe under control, based on the body camera footage, it seemed there was a scuffle with Rachal and police.
Rachal was arrested and charged with resisting an officer, while Rabe was charged with trespassing and given a ride back to a friend’s house.
During the ride, body camera captured Rabe saying how none of what happened was his fault.
“I didn’t look at the video. You guys obviously have seen it, but I’m pretty sure I didn’t cross that black line,” he said, referring to the crowd control stanchion in a retractable belt at the clerk’s desk.
However, the surveillance video showed Rabe taking town the line as he charged at Rachal.
The bodycam footage captured the moment a female officer escorted Rabe to his friend’s apartment.
“Hello, your friend is here. He’s hoping that he can stay the night,” said the officer.
“Yeah,” said the friend.
“OK, great,” said the officer.
The State Attorney’s Office dropped both of Rachal’s charges about a month after the incident.
The body camera footage was released by Fort Lauderdale Police. FLPD officials also said there is an internal affairs investigation underway.
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