Troubled actor Matthew Newton yelled at Miami police that they had something against Australians when they wrestled him to the ground during his arrest outside a popular bar, a manager claims.



"He was a belligerent drunk and the cops asked him to leave several times," Jason, the bar manager of Mr Moe's Restaurant and Bar, told The Age.



The bar manager said the actor was very drunk and had only consumed one beer at Mr Moe's when he started to bother other customers early on Saturday morning local time.



Newton walked away from the bar several times and then returned and that was when he had the confrontation with the police, Jason said.



"Police asked him politely to leave and in the end they tackled him," the barman said.



"He was pissed off and saying to the cops that they were being prejudicial to Australians."

Jason said that Newton's friends had tried to convince him to leave, but he had become troublesome and started resisting arrest and hanging onto the outdoor tables.



"He was belligerent and really drunk," Jason said.



Miami Dade County Corrections confirmed Newton was charged with trespassing on property after a warning and resisting an officer without violence to his person.

The mugshot taken of Matthew Newton. Credit:Jailbase.com

A dishevelled and bleary-eyed Newton appeared in a mugshot issued by local police with a bruise above his right eye.

US authorities told The Age a $US2000 bond was posted for his release through a local bondsman at 10am Saturday local time.



Newton will be notified of his pending court date within the next 10 days.



Newton's lawyer, Chris Murphy, said on Twitter: