Diabetic Mr Universe sprayed with Mace, arrested and wrestled by US police
Despite the misunderstanding at a cinema on Sunday, the police proceeded to arrest, detain and charge Burns for misdemeanour assault and for resisting his arrest in the first place.
Redwood City, California police captain Chris Cessina said officers reported that Burns, aged 43, had assumed a fighting stance and that it took four officers to bring him into submission.
“The fact is Mr Burns assaulted our officer,” Cessina told the San Mateo Daily Journal.
“If he had just stood there and let us help him, maybe they would have called the medics if he didn’t seem to fit the description of being under the influence.”
Burns, who was trying a new diabetes drug that night, said he was preparing to see a film when he felt the onset of dizziness and poor vision — a sign of low blood sugar — and hurried to a snack counter.
A security guard noticed Burns’ strange behaviour and asked him to leave, thinking he was intoxicated. When he refused, the guard called the police.
When officers arrived, Burns allegedly lunged at one of them, pushing him to the ground with both hands. He continued being combative until four officers wrestled him to the ground, the captain added.
During the scuffle, the officers did not notice Burns’ Medic Alert bracelet. An on-scene medical test later confirmed that Burns had low blood sugar during the incident, Cessina said.
Burns, a board member of the American Diabetes Association who often speaks to raise awareness about the condition, said he did not remember the incident clearly, but could explain the behaviour police described.
“I could understand if I was belligerent or had track marks, but I was nicely dressed and I don’t think I fit the profile or smelled like alcohol,” Burns said.
A court date has not yet been set in the case.
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