Entertainment

Hannibal Buress Was Just Arrested For Alleged Disorderly Intoxication

by Danielle Jackson
Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

On the morning of Sunday, Dec. 10, multiple media outlets reported that actor and comedian Hannibal Buress was arrested in Miami after a confrontation with the police. According to the Miami Herald, the 34-year-old Broad City actor was booked on a misdemeanor charge of disorderly intoxication. Bustle has reached out to reps for Hannibal Buress for comment, but has not yet received a response. Miami Police confirmed the arrest and the charge on Twitter, in a tweet in response to a question about the situation from director Billy Corben. The tweet read: "Hello Billy, Mr. Buress was arrested for disorderly intoxication, on December 9, 2017, at approximately 10:30 p.m."

It's not clear what Buress was in Miami for, but the Herald reports that the actor was arrested around 10:30 p.m. near Wynwood, which is currently hosting Miami Art Basel-related events. According to a tweet from radio host Andy Slater, Buress was allegedly arrested after walking up to a cop and requesting that the officer call him an Uber. After the officer reportedly refused, the 34-year-old comedian reportedly began yelling profanities. (Bustle has reached out to both the Miami Police Department and Buress' reps for comment on the reported situation surrounding the arrest, but has not received a response.)

Miami Herald reporter David Orvalle, tweeted out the police report which echoes the information in Slater's tweet. The Miami police report reads:

The defendant who had red blood shot eyes and a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from within his breath approached me and asked me to call him an Uber. I told the defendant I could not call him an Uber and he became angry and belligerent. I asked the defendant to leave the premises and the defendant instead walked inside the venue located on 2000 NW 2nd Ave. I then walked inside the venue and told the defendant he had to leave due to him being highly intoxicated. Once outside, the defendant stood by the front gate and continued yelling profanities. I then again asked him to leave the area about five times.

A video of the incident posted on YouTube shows a handcuffed Buress standing up against a cop car with two police officers standing directly in front of him. At the start of the two-and-a-half minute clip, the comedian can be heard shouting, "Am I under arrest? For what?" He then yells to the officers, "Explain what I’m detained for. What I am detained for?" Though they're not shown in the video, there also does appear to be multiple bystanders in the background of the video watching closely as the situation unfolds. And though it was later revealed that Buress was actually arrested for disorderly intoxication, the cops apparently told him he was being arrested for trespassing when he asked, to which one of the bystanders responded, "Who's pressing charges on the trespass? What property was he trespassing on?" Seconds later, he called out "Who called you?"

Throughout the rest of the video, Buress continues to challenge the officers, demanding that they explain their "probable cause" for detaining him and later refusing to get inside the police car. "No, I'm not getting in your car unless you have probable cause for anything. ... Take the handcuffs off of me, I didn't do anything, I'm not getting in your car," he said.

After about several minutes of back-and-forth, Buress eventually had to be forced into the vehicle by one of the officers. According to TMZ, he was booked into a Miami-Dade jail around 2 a.m. and was released around 6 a.m. after posting a $500 bond.

Buress' fans on Twitter had many strong reactions to the comedian's arrest, including tweets declaring, "Free Hannibal Buress."

Some Twitter users just wondered what it was all about.

And some users on Twitter immediately began questioning the validity of Buress's arrest.

Buress is currently appearing alongside Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer on Comedy Central's Broad City. He's also made appearances on The Mindy Project, 30 Rock, Bob's Burgers, Adventure Time with Finn and Jake, and High Maintenance.

According to TMZ, Buress was released from a jail in Miami early Sunday morning.