Actor Faizon Love, known for his roles in hit movies like “Elf,” “Couples Retreat” and “Friday,” was arrested in Tampa, Florida, for contempt of court.
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The 58-year-old was arrested Tuesday near the Morongo Casino Resort & Spa on a fugitive warrant, according to online Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office arrest records.
Love was booked on two counts of contempt of court connected to a paternity case dating back to 2019, according to online records. A Hillsborough County judge issued an arrest warrant for Love last month.
It’s unclear why the warrant was issued and documents tied to the case appear to be sealed.
NBC San Diego reached out to Love’s attorney in the child support case and he confirmed the arrest, but declined to comment about details in the case.
Pending felony assault case in San Diego
Love is currently facing a felony assault charge in San Diego, connected to an alleged attack on a hotel clerk in Mission Valley in August 2024.
Love is accused of ripping a credit card reader off its mount and throwing it at the clerk, hitting the side of her head.
Prosecutors charged Love with felony assault with a deadly weapon, with an enhancement to the charge due to great bodily injury to the alleged victim. Love has pleaded not guilty in the case, and a trial is scheduled to begin in August.
However, next month, a judge is scheduled to hear a motion to allow Love to complete a pre-trial Mental Health Diversion program. The program allows qualifying defendants to receive treatment instead of serving jail time. Typically, if the treatment is completed, criminal charges are dismissed.
During the preliminary hearing in 2025, the alleged victim testified that Love became irate after being told the hotel had no vacancy, despite using a third-party hotel booking app. She said she and two co-workers couldn’t calm him down.
“Mr. Love was extremely upset; it was zero to one hundred real quick,” the woman told the court. “He was repeatedly asking if we knew who he was.”
She then told District Attorney Jena Scarborough what she said happened next.
“I then proceeded to say that was enough,” the alleged victim said. “Mr. Love looked directly at me, pulled the credit card machine off, and threw it [in] my direction.
The woman testified further that she went to the hospital a couple of hours after the incident and said she suffered a concussion and has had lingering health problems, including a sensitivity to light.
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However, under cross-examination from Love’s attorney Marc Kligman, the woman acknowledged differences between her testimony Tuesday and what she told the 911 operator and responding police officers in August 2024.
That included the severity of injuries and whether she thought Love was targeting her specifically. In an effort to highlight potential inconsistencies, Kligman played back SDPD police body camera video from the officers who responded that night.
The front-desk clerk’s two co-workers also testified about the incident, saying they witnessed the attack. Kligman again referenced the body camera video to highlight differences in their stories.
Specifically, whether they both actually saw the card reader strike the woman in the head, or just heard the sound of it striking the wall. One of the witnesses admitted that he actually didn’t see the woman get hit.
“What should give the court pause…is in the insufficiency of the evidence and credibility of the witnesses,” Kligman said.
During closing arguments, Kligman also introduced the possibility that the alleged victim was motivated by more than justice. That woman filed a civil lawsuit against Love, seeking money to pay for her medical bills as well as for the physical and emotional pain she said she’s suffered.
“I think there’s quite a bit of motivation for her to make this up, to exaggerate,” Kligman said.
A history of assault
In 2017, Love pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor for assaulting a valet at the John Glenn Columbus International Airport.
The violent attack was caught on airport surveillance video. He was fined $500 and given a 180-day suspended jail sentence.
The victim in that case filed a civil lawsuit against Love. The court ordered Love to pay the valet $40,000 and later ordered him to pay an additional $8,679.50 in attorney fees incurred to enforce the settlement.
In 2009, Love was accused of attacking a man at a hotel in West Hollywood, according to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department.
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