KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Knoxville police arrested a man Tuesday night, saying he caused a disturbance during a closed patron party event at Zoo Knoxville.
According to the Knoxville Police Department, officers arrived at the zoo around 8:30 p.m. to respond to the disturbance. Officers said the man, identified as 55-year-old Marcus Winston, had interrupted the event at the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Campus and was acting very erratically -- saying they believed he was under the influence of drugs.
Officers asked the man to leave, saying he refused. KPD said Winston was then arrested after a "short struggle." According to the arrest report, the officer used pepper spray and "delivered one knee strike to the midsection of the subject" to subdue them after Winston resisted being placed into handcuffs.
KPD said officers found a bag near Winston that they believed to be crack cocaine.
Winston was taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center for evaluation and was released from the hospital after refusing medical attention, KPD said. Officers then took him to jail, saying he is being charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and drug possession.
The zoo was hosting a private patron party Tuesday night to celebrate the record-breaking $1.1 million Zoofari event in 2022.
Zoo Knoxville issued a statement about the incident Wednesday afternoon, saying the man entered the zoo through an entrance that was open for guests:
On Tuesday, September 27, during a private after-hours event at Zoo Knoxville, an individual entered the premises and created a disturbance by behaving erratically. This person accessed the zoo through the entrance that was open for guests to enter and exit the event. Staff attending the entrance alerted Zoo Knoxville’s security personnel, who are on grounds at all times and trained to handle situations like this to ensure the safety of our guests, staff, and animals. The ranger on duty responded immediately and called 911 for support from the Knoxville Police Department. All event attendees were safely secured indoors until KPD officers arrived and took the individual into custody