MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – A popular social media influencer from New York found herself in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center Monday night after being accused of behaving “extremely disorderly,” walking around naked at a South Beach hotel pool and then assaulting an officer.
According to E! News, 26-year-old Nikita Nguyen, better known as Nikita Dragun, has “amassed over 3.55 million subscribers on YouTube, 9 million followers on Instagram and 14.5 million followers on TikTok by posting makeup tips and tricks, as well as sharing her journey as a transgender woman in the beauty industry.”
By Tuesday, however, Dragun had also amassed three charges in Miami-Dade County and a $2,000 bond.
According to a Miami Beach police arrest report, officers were called to the The Goodtime Hotel at 601 Washington Ave. just after 6 p.m. after hotel security reported Dragun “had been causing a disturbance for a long period of time and was walking around the pool area unclothed.”
At one point, after security staff told Dragun that she couldn’t do that, she threw water at them, police wrote.
When police arrived, they were escorted to Dragun’s room, where they could hear loud music, the report states.
Security explained to Dragun that she needed to stop or she could be asked to leave the property, police said.
According to police, Dragun closed the door, then opened it shortly afterward, asked “do you want more?”, then swung an open bottle at the security guard and an officer, hitting them and dousing them with water.
Dragun faces a felony charge of battery on a law enforcement officer, a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge, and a municipal ordinance violation of battery.
She appeared in court Tuesday, asking Judge Mindy Glazer whether she had to remain in a men’s unit in the jail.
“I don’t make the rules up there,” Glazer replied, but noted Dragun could bond out.
In a statement to Local 10 News, Dragun’s publicist, Jack Ketsoyan, said she had been released from jail, but criticized how authorities handled the situation.
“The situation with Nikita, who is legally female, being placed in a men’s unit of a Florida jail is extremely disturbing and dangerous,” Ketsoyan said. “This decision made by the Miami-Dade County Corrections Department directly violates their protocol, which mandates that transgender inmates are classified and housed based on safety needs and gender identity. Nikita has been released and is now safe. Thank you for respecting her privacy during this time.”
On Thursday, officials disputed Dragun’s account, saying she was never placed in a men’s unit.