MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Officers arrested Mark Walton, a former Miami Dolphins player, on Sunday after a fit of rage over the service at a Pizza Hut in Miami-Dade County’s Allapattah neighborhood.
Walton, 23, said he felt disrespected by a Pizza Hut employee at 2101 NW 17th Ave., police said. He is accused of trying to break the fast-food restaurant’s window.
Craig Thomas, Walton’s cousin, tried to get Walton off the property, but he refused and punched him, according to the arrest report. Thomas did not want his cousin to be arrested, so Walton is facing charges of trespassing and disorderly conduct.
After playing successfully for Booker T. Washington Senior High School and the University of Miami, the Cincinnati Bengals drafted the running back in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
He had a 2016 DUI arrest, but the case was dropped. About three years later, spending the 2019 NFL offseason in Miami-Dade County wasn’t easy for Walton.
First, he was arrested for marijuana possession. About a month later, he was arrested for misdemeanor battery after grabbing a neighbor’s phone. He was also later arrested for carrying a concealed firearm, resisting an officer without violence, possession of marijuana, and reckless driving.
The Bengals released him April 6, 2019, and the Miami Dolphins signed him May 12, 2019. The cases closed July 19, 2019.
Walton was arrested again Nov. 19, 2019 in Davie after he was accused of assaulting his girlfriend who was five weeks pregnant. The assault included punches to the face and head, according to the arrest report.
After learning about the domestic violence case, the Miami Dolphins waived him on Nov. 19, 2019. He was suspended until Dec. 3, 2019.
His legal troubles continued last year. On Jan. 3, 2020, Walton faced a second count of aggravated battery of a pregnant woman, and on Feb. 27, 2020, he was accused of violating a protective order. The aggravated battery charge was dropped in May, and he remains a free agent with the NFL.