Judge revokes probation in UConn mac and cheese case

A judge has revoked the special probation given to a former University of Connecticut student who went on a drunken tirade about jalapeno-bacon macaroni and cheese.

Luke Gatti, 20, whose alcohol-fueled meltdown over fast food in October 2015 was caught on video and watched millions of times, had the privilege taken away after he was arrested in May.

The ex-student is accused of hitting a female police officer while trying to escape rehab in Florida. 

It now means his criminal record could follow him for the rest of his life, if he is convicted.

Former University of Connecticut student Luke Gatti, 20, has had his special probation revoked after he was arrested trying to escape from rehab in Boca Raton, Florida. He was charged after going on drunken tirade about jalapeno-bacon macaroni and cheese last year

He will also be thrown out of his accelerated probation program. 

On May 28, Gatti was just hours into a treatment program as a result of the drunken rant, but then he tried to escape Boca Raton's Wellness Resource Center in barefoot.

Gatti is believed to have just been transferred from another detox center where he had gone through several withdrawals. 

He didn't make it very far before he was tackled to the floor by officers. Eventually he gave in, but it wasn't until after they had been involved in a scuffle that allegedly left the guards injured.  

On Monday, Gatti pleaded under the Alford doctrine Monday to misdemeanor breach of peace and was fined $100. 

RELATED ARTICLES

• Previous
• 1
• Next

• Married couple dubbed the ‘pillars of their community’ are... Shocking footage shows 'drunk' passenger with his hands tied... EXCLUSIVE: He showered HER with diamonds and ordered a suite... Small meal portions, a snobby class system and a LOT of...

Share this article

Under the doctrine, a defendant doesn't admit guilt but acknowledges there's enough evidence for a conviction.

He was also removed from the probation program, which could have resulted in the dismissal of charges if he stayed out of trouble, the Journal Inquirer reported.

He was also removed from the probation program, which could have resulted in the dismissal of charges if he stayed out of trouble. But Gatti was arrested at a Florida substance-abuse rehabilitation center in May and charged with battery on a police officer.

Gatti was charged at UConn last October after he belittled a food service manager in a confrontation that was recorded and widely viewed online.

According to reports following his latest arrest, Gatti was furious after doctors refused to give him pain relief to help with his withdrawal symptoms, according to a police report.

Gatti, whose alcohol-fueled meltdown over fast food in October 2015 was caught on video and watched millions of times, had the privilege taken away after he was arrested in May

He later returned to the clinic, where a police officer was waiting for him.

The former UConn student said he 'did not care if he got hurt or if he hurt himself and wanted to be left alone', the report said. 

He tried to flee again, so the cop tried to take him into custody, but he hit her.

Another police officer grabbed Gatti, causing them to fall into a door and knock it off of its hinges.

After being threatened with a Taser, he was eventually persuaded to give himself up and was booked into jail, the police report said.

Gatti later told cops: 'I just want to die.'

He was later released on a $5,000 bond and is due back in court next month.

Gatti was arrested last October after his nine-minute stand-off with the cafeteria's manager over bacon jalapeno mac and cheese ended in a scuffle.

Gatti was arrested last October after his nine-minute stand-off with the cafeteria's manager over the food ended in a scuffle

In a recording of the incident, the manager is seen calmly telling Gatti that he will not be served because he brought alcohol into the building, which is prohibited, and also because they are out of the dish Gatti is so desperate for.

'Try Subway,' the manager tells him.

But Gatti refused to comply and instead repeatedly hurled abuse at the manager.

When the manager asked his age, Gatti admitted he was 19 and was therefore drinking underage.

‘This is getting posted somewhere and you’re gonna look like a f****** tool,' Gatti said after noticing the incident was being filmed.

'Just let me get some mac and cheese,' he added.

The manager stood firm and told him: 'You are not welcome here. You have booze on your breath, you told me you're underage.'

Despite various employees and fellow students trying to calm Gatti down, he continued to berate the manager and even shoved him.

His latest arrest means his criminal record, stemmed from the confrontation almost 12 months ago, could follow him for the rest of his life, if he is convicted

Then, after Gatti shoved the manager again, the footage shows a cook pulling the student into a wrestling hold and forcing him to the ground, shouting: 'I told you, you don't touch my boss.'

‘I was just trying to get f****** food,’ Gatti shouted.

‘You don't do it by assaulting people,’ he was told.

When the police eventually arrived and handcuffed Gatti, he started crying, adding: ‘F***! I’m absolutely f*****.’

In a final insult to the manager, Gatti tried to spit at him before being taken out of the building.

Gatti later apologized. He issued a grovelling video acknowledging that he was intoxicated and said he was ashamed of his behavior.

He is no longer enrolled at UConn. School officials won't say if he left on his own or was expelled, but he was banned from all school property.

He was previously a student at the University of Massachusetts and was arrested twice last year on disorderly conduct charges.

During one of those arrests, Gatti was accused of using a racial slur against a police officer, according to court filings.

In December last year, Gatti was sentenced to a year of probation, a course of substance abuse treatment and community service.

A judge spared him jail time because of the 'excruciating and humiliating publicity' the case attracted, the Hartford Courant reported. 

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pa3IpbCmmZmhe6S7ja6iaKaVrMBwrdGtoJyklWKAeH%2BQb2psZ3qqsaixjKucr6ebmsBuvNGomZqsmaS7bqGiqKWnZZ2WsG6vx56crJ1dmK60sY2hq6ak