Meriden Men Charged With Inciting Riot Outside Restaurant: Middletown Police

MIDDLETOWN, CT — Four men from Meriden and Southington are due in court later this month to face charges that they helped incite a riot outside of a restaurant/bar on Main Street in Middletown, according to police. Shortly after 1 a.m. on May 27, Middletown Police responded to an active disturbance in front of Camp’s Restaurant. Police said several officers along with mutual aid from surrounding towns also responded to the scene.

While officers were on the scene, the crowd outside of Camp’s began to grow as all of the patrons exited the building. Police were trying to attend to each incident and said the scene soon became out of control as many people became argumentative and refused to comply with officers’ commands, according to the police report. (To sign up for Meriden breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

Several fights and disturbances were occurring throughout different areas of Main Street and there were also fights occurring in the rear of Camp’s located in Melilli Plaza, according to the police report.

Police arrested Ahmad J. Jackson, 21, of Sherman Avenue in Meriden, Eric Dudley, 24, of New Hanover Avenue in Meriden, Kory Potts, 22, of Westbrook Road in Plantsville, and Michael Torbicki, 22, of Water Street in Southington. They were all charged with inciting to riot, interfering with an officer/resisting and breach of peace.

Jackson is accused of being involved in the large fight in the rear of Camp’s and disobeying officers’ orders and swearing at police, according to the report.

As officers were apprehending a suspect, Dudley is accused of approaching police and shouting obscenities at them. When police told him to back up and walk away, Dudley is accused of running to a vehicle and shouting “I got something for you guys,” according to the report. Officers chased him out of fear that he was going to the vehicle to get a weapon, the report noted. Police said Dudley resisted and attempted to get away while being apprehended.

Camp’s staff told police that Potts was caught smoking marijuana inside of the restaurant and as they approached him to remove from the restaurant, he is accused of becoming irate and throwing “wild” punches that struck several bystanders, which incited several people to begin arguing and become aggressive, according to the report.

During the incident outside the restaurant, Torbicki is accused of approaching an officer in an aggressive/argumentative manner and attempted to “get into his face,” according to the report. After the officer told him to walk away, Torbicki is accused of sticking his middle finger up at the officer and shouting “(expletive) the police,” according to the report.

Police said a group of people then began chanting along with Torbicki and he was heard saying, “I don’t give a (expletive) about them, I will (expletive) them up,” the report states. Police said Torbicki continued to walk around Main Street throughout the entire incident and shout obscenities toward police and ignored officers’ commands.

Jackson, Dudley, Potts and Torbicki were all released on $50,000 bonds and are scheduled to appear in court on June 20.

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