A-League footballer threatened to shoot and kill police officers in drunken outburst
A footballer shouted “Do you know who I am” and threatened to shoot and kill police officers - all because he was being escorted out of a bar.
Dino Arslanagic, 31, made the threats outside Jam Record Bar in Sydney, Australia, shortly after midnight on December 19. Earlier that day, he had spent time drinking in the Hunter Valley wine region, dined at the restaurant Totti’s, and attended a concert before ending the night at Jam with his fiancée, Vasilisa Artemova.
During a hearing on Wednesday at Sydney Downing Centre Local Court, Arslanagic’s lawyer, Kiki Kyriacou, admitted that the footballer “freely admits having consumed a significant amount of alcohol that day.”
A bar manager observed the Macarthur FC defender becoming increasingly intoxicated before an incident involving Artemova led to him being asked to leave. According to the court, the situation escalated when another man allegedly touched Artemova inappropriately while she was dancing, angering Arslanagic.
When police arrived, they escorted the couple out of the venue and confiscated a bottle of champagne Arslanagic had been holding. The two-time Belgian Cup winner apparently became enraged, resisted police instructions and swatted their hands away, while Artemova tried to intervene by standing between him and the officers. Court documents reveal that Constable Caleb Hansford deployed capsicum spray out of fear of an impending assault.
“You spray my eye, do you know who I am? I play football,” Arslanagic reportedly yelled, adding: “I play A-League football.”
He then pointed his fingers at Constable Talon Bolton-Plimmer, mimicking pulling a gun’s trigger. “I’ll shoot you,” he said, according to court records. “Come to my country, one bullet in your head, you’re dead.”
Despite Artemova’s attempts to calm the situation, including positioning herself between her fiancé and the police, Arslanagic continued to push past her. At one point, she placed her hand on Constable Hansford’s shoulder and pushed him, leading to a violent scuffle during which Arslanagic was restrained and handcuffed by two officers.
In court, Arslanagic appeared subdued as he pleaded guilty to three charges - failing to leave a premises when directed, intimidating a police officer, and resisting arrest.
His lawyer stated that Arslanagic had lost his contract with Macarthur FC due to the incident, which had brought disrepute to the club. Kyriacou said: “There’s no ill feeling between him and the club - it’s a professional sport, people are required to conduct themselves in a particular way.”
Kyriacou added that the couple planned to leave Australia and return to Europe, as Arslanagic’s football contract had been terminated, and they now had “no more business in Australia.”