Conor McGregor accused of smashing fan's phone in Miami Beach

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – UFC fighter and professional boxer Conor McGregor was arrested Monday after police said he smashed the mobile phone of a fan who tried to take his picture outside a Miami Beach hotel.

McGregor, 30, faces charges of strong-armed robbery and criminal mischief.

According to the arrest report, the victim approached McGregor outside the Fontainebleau in the 4400 block of Collins Avenue about 5 a.m. and attempted to take a picture of the fighter with his mobile phone. McGregor slapped the phone out of the man's hand and then stomped on the phone several times, the report said.

McGregor then picked up the smashed phone and walked away with it, the report said.

McGregor's lawyer, Samuel J. Rabin Jr., called the incident a "minor altercation."

"Last evening, Conor McGregor was involved in a minor altercation involving a cell phone that resulted in a call to law enforcement," Rabin said in a statement. "Mr. McGregor appreciates the response of law enforcement and pledges his full cooperation."

A native of Ireland and nicknamed "The Notorious," McGregor is the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion and one of the biggest draws in mixed martial arts. He briefly left UFC to make his boxing debut. McGregor lost to Floyd Mayweather at a high-publicized fight in August 2017.

McGregor recently completed a sentence of five days of community service after he hurled a dolly at a moving bus, shattering windows and injuring fighters aboard the vehicle in Brooklyn, New York, in April 2018. He agreed to a plea deal and avoided being deported from the U.S.

In October, the Nevada State Athletic Commission suspended McGregor for six months after he was involved in a post-fight brawl. He was also fined $50,000.

TMZ reported that McGregor was in South Florida with his girlfriend and young son to celebrate his mother's birthday. He reportedly rented out the Versace Mansion for the party. Miami Beach police arrested him Monday afternoon at his pricey rental home on Biscayne Island.

McGregor was released about 10 p.m. after being held on $12,500 bond at Miami-Dade County's Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. McGregor was greeted by a large crowd of reporters as he left the jail, but he did not answer any questions.