Armed man who tried to enter Tampa strip club wearing devil mask sentenced to prison

Yahoo

21-03-2025

A man accused of trying to enter Tampa's Mons Venus strip club armed with a gun and wearing a devil mask has been sentenced to a decade in state prison as part of a deal with prosecutors.
Michael Rudman, 46, pleaded guilty Thursday to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and four other charges.
As part of a plea agreement, Rudman was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He will receive credit for the two years he has spent in the Hillsborough County jail waiting for his case to be resolved.
He faced as many as 30 years in state prison if convicted at trial.
'The brave actions of a security guard named Manny Resto prevented this case from becoming what could have been a much more violent crime,' Hillsborough State Attorney's Office spokesperson Erin Maloney said in an emailed statement. 'This 46-year-old defendant will spend 10 years day-for-day behind bars for his assault of Mr. Resto, who was merely doing his job. This resolution puts this defendant in prison for a significant amount of time and spared the taxpayers the expense of a trial that would likely have resulted in a similar resolution.'
The resolution came two years and a day after Rudman's arrest at the club after a physical struggle near the front door that Resto later called 'a fight for my life.' Police Chief Lee Bercaw said at the time that he believed the guards prevented a mass shooting, but Rudman's attorney told the Tampa Bay Times that he doesn't believe that was his client's intent.
Rudman arrived at the club, located at 2040 N. Dale Mabry Highway, in a silver Toyota pickup around 1:15 a.m. on Sunday, March 19, 2023, according to court documents. Rudman parked the truck on the side of the building, left it running and got out holding a Glock 9mm pistol and wearing a red and black 'Satan mask,' documents state.
Resto saw Rudman coming and tried to wrestle the gun out of his hand. Rudman hit Resto multiple times during the struggle, according to prosecutors. The gun discharged once during the fight but no one was shot.
Rudman was carrying three magazines, each with a 17-round capacity, documents state. One of the magazines had seven live rounds and the other two were fully loaded. Inside his truck, investigators found nine knives.
At a news conference two days later, Resto, a former professional wrestler known as the 'Puerto Rican Punisher,' said he initially thought Rudman was another guard trying to play a prank on him, but then realized that wasn't the case and immediately concentrated on getting the gun out of Rudman's hands. He called on his days as a wrestler and previous security guard experience to get Rudman — whom Resto described as a 'very big man' — on the ground.
'I decided that he was not going to enter the club and hurt anybody,' Resto said. 'I wasn't going to let this happen. I was not going to let him win.'
Resto got Rudman to the ground and was trying to hold him down when two more guards came to help. Surveillance video from the club shows Resto then picking up the gun and pointing it at Rudman, who rushed at him. A round discharged from the gun during the confrontation and hit the door.
One security guard sustained minor injuries. No one else was hurt.
As part of the deal approved Thursday by Judge G. Gregory Green, Rudman also pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a weapon, possessing a firearm while under a risk protection order, possession of cocaine and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Rudman's attorney, Jawdet Rubaii, said in an interview that the minimum allowable prison sentence according to state guidelines — about 4½ years — would have been more appropriate, but they agreed to the deal because Rudman faced a much longer prison sentence if convicted at trial.
Rubaii said Rudman has schizophrenia and was off his prescribed medication at the time of the incident due to supply shortages and a lack of contact with mental health care professionals stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. Rubaii noted Rudman does not have a lengthy criminal history but does have a history of being taken into protective custody under Florida's Baker Act.
Rubaii said he understands why Bercaw and others believe Rudman was at the club intending to commit a mass shooting, but Rubaii doesn't believe that. He said Rudman never pointed the gun at anyone.
'What about all the people outside? Why not start there? Shoot your way in,' Rubaii said. 'And why, when you get in a tussling match with a guy who's grabbing the gun from you, you don't point it and shoot anybody? It doesn't make sense.'
Rubaii said his client's life was likely saved when he was stopped by security guards because he could have been shot by someone in the club had he gained entry.
Rudman was under a risk protection order in Pinellas County at the time of his arrest that prohibited him from possessing a firearm. The orders are issued by a judge at a law enforcement agency's request if they are believed to be a danger to themselves or others.
In Rudman's case, a Pinellas judge had extended a risk protection order until October 2023 because the court found, among other factors, Rudman 'engaged in a threat of violence against themselves or others,' 'has violated a previous or existing risk protection order,' and 'has stalked another person,' court documents state.
After his arrest in Tampa, Rudman was charged in Pinellas with violating the order, a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison. Records show that case is still pending.