Boxer Ryan Garcia was arrested for felony vandalism at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel on Saturday, a Beverly Hills police officer confirmed to Yahoo Sports.
Garcia was in custody as of Saturday evening but was expected to be released later in the night.
TMZ initially reported Garcia’s arrest, with a video showing a shirtless Garcia being led out of the hotel lobby in handcuffs. Garcia is wearing a helmet covering his face, but his back tattoos are visible.
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
— michael j. babcock (@mikejbabcock) June 9, 2024
Garcia was reportedly accused of damaging hotel property, including his room and hallway, and seemed to be under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, but complied with authorities when they arrived. Any damage over $400 can be considered a felony in California.
TMZ reports eyewitnesses saw nearly a dozen police cars outside the hotel. Garcia was also reported to have received a welfare check on Wednesday after one of his family members feared he needed assistance. While he apparently seemed fine, he then reportedly acted out to the point the hotel cut him off from drinking that night.
Ryan Garcia has had a bizarre 2 months
The arrest is only the latest incident in a surreal sequence of events since he notched the biggest win of his career over WBC super lightweight champ Devin Haney. That fight already had some drama due to Garcia missing weight by 3 pounds, costing himself a wagered $1.5 million in the process, but then he tested positive for a banned substance.
While Garcia’s attorneys have provided evidence that the positive test for Ostarine came due to tainted supplements, he is still facing a significant suspension from the New York State Athletic Commission. Garcia has denied using any banned substances, but has posted some bizarre statements as well, such as “I will swallow all steroids.”
There is also a brewing defamation lawsuit from Prime Hydration, the energy drink company co-owned by Logan Paul, who also claimed that Garcia fabricated text messages in which the influencer/pro wrestler purportedly made light of the deaths in the Gaza Strip.
