An unidentified man was arrested inside Park City’s High West Saloon during a packed CAA party amid the Sundance Film Festival.
According to a well-placed source, the individual presumably crashed the party — he was not on the RSVP list nor was he known to be a guest of a confirmed attendee — by sneaking in through an alternate entrance. At the time, CAA was hosting its annual festival party at the popular Park City hotspot to kick off the festival’s first weekend and celebrate independent film and the agency’s talent.
Around midnight, the man went into the restroom where he allegedly began causing a disturbance in a racially-charged scene that shocked other men using the facilities at the same time. The man, described as caucasian, allegedly stated how proud he was to be “white.” The tense moment continued as the man then exited the restroom and allegedly punched a person of color in the face. Security is said to have intervened quickly to detain the man until police arrived.
Reached Saturday morning, Park City Police confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that a man was arrested at High West Saloon following an incident. They would not comment on any charges he is facing or his identity. A representative from the Summit County Sheriff’s Office also declined to comment on the charges but confirmed that a man is still behind bars as of Saturday afternoon.
Park City Police have a strong presence around the city, especially on Main Street and nearby locations, including High West, which is located on a prominent corner of Park Avenue. The establishment has many floors, private rooms and close corridors, and it is understood that the alleged assault was an isolated and discreet incident that did not disrupt the festivities. Because CAA bought out the restaurant, it’s likely that many guests had no knowledge that police were on the scene. The agency’s events are long known to be tightly controlled with strict invite lists.
THR also reached out to High West for comment but an employee declined to offer details and said it is policy to not comment on private events.
The Sundance Film Festival runs through Feb. 1. It’s a milestone year for the festival as it marks the final Sundance in Park City, Utah before it moves to a new home in Boulder, Colorado. Arrests are nothing new to Park City during Sundance. In a recent interview with The Park Record, Dave Edmunds reflected on his 20-plus years as the former sheriff of Summit County and onetime Park City police officer. “It was pure insanity,” Edmunds told the publication after retiring from the force to work in a family business. “It was as debauched and as crazy a scene in the late-1990s, 2000s, as I’ve ever seen or heard of in law enforcement.”
