BOCA RATON – An off-duty Broward Sheriff’s deputy was arrested after getting into a barroom brawl in Palm Beach County after biting one person and brandishing a gun.
Dominick Plateroti was arrested Sunday, March 18. Police said he got into a fight at the Blue Martini nightclub, 6000 W Glades Road, Boca Raton. Officers charged him with three counts of battery and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon. He was released on $5,000 bail the next day.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office suspended Plateroti with pay until the charges are resolved. Efforts to reach him were unsuccessful and it was unclear if he has an attorney.
According to the arrest affidavit, Plateroti and an unidentified black male, who is described in the report as his “sergeant at work,” were in the club. Club manager Scott Mauro was sitting at the bar when Plateroti walked over and punched him in the back of the head, the report said.
A scuffle ensued and Ryan Arnold, a friend of Mauro’s, tried to restrain Plateroti by grabbing him from behind. Plateroti bit Arnold on the bicep, drawing blood, police said. Plateroti then allegedly pulled a handgun from his waist and pointed it at the men.
Plateroti was asked to leave the club and was doing so when police arrived. Verbal exchanges between Plateroti and the men continued outside.
Police took statements from Mauro and Arnold, who sought to press criminal charges. Officers viewed surveillance video from inside the nightclub and confirmed what happened. Mauro told police the incident started over Plateroti’s wife, who works at the club.
Police took Plateroti into custody but no weapons were found on him. Officers were unable to locate the unidentified black male who accompanied him to the club. Paramedics arrived and treated Arnold for bite wounds.
BSO hired Plateroti, 30, in November 2007 and he is now paid $59,446 a year.
BSO director of media relations Jim Leljedal referred questions to the Boca Raton police department when asked if the black male described in the report had been identified.
**Pictured above is BSO deputy Dominick Plateroti
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