Bluffton man arrested on Christmas Eve blames cops for stealing his holiday

A man kicked out of a Hilton Head Island bar on Christmas Eve told his arresting officers they were ruining his holiday.

At the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office substation on Hilton Head, where the 36-year-old Bluffton man was taken after kicking the inside of a patrol car, he told officers, “You are taking my Christmas, so I’m going to take yours,” according to a report on the incident. He proceeded to ask EMS to come to the station and check him for a pre-existing heart condition, which they did before clearing him for the trip to jail.

His arrest stemmed from an argument with a bar employee at Reilley’s Plaza on Greenwood Drive, who asked him to leave about 4:30 a.m. Saturday when the bar closed. The man reportedly refused to go, even though he’d already received a trespassing notice for the area, known as The Triangle.

He told the bar employee she was “making a big mistake” and “don’t do something you’ll regret,” the report said.

Officers found and arrested the man at a strip club on Dunnagans Alley. He yelled obscenities all the way to the substation and repeatedly struck the patrol car barrier with his knees, the report said.

This story was originally published December 27, 2016 at 2:57 PM with the headline "Bluffton man arrested on Christmas Eve blames cops for stealing his holiday."