Drunk, Cop-Biting Alameda Restaurant Owner Arrested on Opening Night

You have to give Mark Strachan credit for one thing: if you're going to open a restaurant named Capone's Speakeasy, getting drunk and assaulting a police officer are definitely true to the spirit of the enterprise. The EBX broke the news that Strachan, a bit worse for wear after the brand-new Alameda restaurant's opening bash on Saturday night, allegedly ran across a busy street to grab a cop's arm, resisting arrest and assaulting an officer before being taken into custody.

While Alameda PD representatives were tight-lipped with the EBX, they were more forthcoming with Inside Scoop. The cops were apparently in the area to deal with a separate, unrelated incident across the street from Capone's, when a "heavily intoxicated" Strachan grabbed the cop's arm to inquire what was going on. They sent Strachan back across the street (where he was nearly hit by an oncoming car), wrapped up the first case, then went across to arrest him. Strachan resisted arrest, and decided it would be a good idea to bite one of the officers in the leg while doing so.

As if that wasn't enough, Strachan is already on probation for two other undisclosed crimes (one of them a felony). And he's apparently no pleasure to work with; a chef and operations manager involved in the opening of Capone's told Inside Scoop they had split with the project early on, citing Strachan's terrible temper. Strachan, a first-time restaurateur whose day job is owning a construction company, was arraigned yesterday on charges of public drunkenness, resisting arrest, one felony and one misdemeanor count of violating the terms of his probation, and two counts of battery on a public officer. He remains in custody, and his behavior could jeopardize the restaurant—the ABC and the Alameda PD are looking into possibly yanking Capone's liquor license.

· Speakeasy Owner Arrested for Public Drunkenness, Assault [EBX]
· Capone's Speakeasy owner arrested on opening night [Inside Scoop]