My home airport (which in some alternate reality was voted North America’s best airport) is making the news again!
In this post:
Incident with Miami Airport police officer & passenger
Video footage emerged Monday evening of a physical altercation between a police officer and a passenger in Concourse H at Miami International Airport (MIA), during which the officer ended up pulling his gun on the passenger. Dozens of people gathered around and got involved in the incident, as one does when in Miami.
There wasn’t initially much context for what unfolded, though a new video that has been released since then gives us a better understanding of what happened. In this video, a passenger can be seen standing on a golf cart talking to a police officer. As the police officer walks away, the passenger grab’s the police officer’s wrist, clearly wanting him to not go anywhere.
Okay, grabbing a police officer’s wrist is probably never a good idea, as the police officer responds by violently hitting him and putting him in a chokehold. The passenger then tries to fight the cop, at which point he has a gun pulled on him. You can see this for yourself below.
The President of Miami-Dade’s Police Benevolent Association (the union representing most cops), said the police officer was following protocols:
“He breaks off and it’s getting out of hand, so he draws his weapon. He stops the crowd and he re-holsters. He did nothing wrong and exactly what he is trained to do.”
What caused this confrontation?
The backstory to this incident is quite interesting. The 30 year old passenger in the above video was traveling on an Air Century charter flight to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The flight had been scheduled for 9AM, but had a massive delay due to a mechanical issue, and passengers weren’t getting any answers.
So at around 6:30PM, nearly 10 hours into the delay, the passenger tried to jump on the front of a golf cart, and snatched its key, causing it to break off in the cart’s keyhole. The golf cart was owned by Turkish Airlines and was transporting passengers.
Apparently he did this because he thought it would be the best way to get answers about the delay, since Air Century didn’t have any representatives at the gate. So he requested that the golf cart attendant get him someone from Air Century who could provide answers about the delay. At that point the golf cart operator radioed for police.
According to the police report, the officers tried to calm down the passenger. He allegedly became angrier, and at that point a crowd started to form. And that’s basically where the video starts, so the rest of the story we can make sense of.
The passenger ended up being arrested, and faces felony charges, including battery on a police officer, burglary, criminal mischief, resisting arrest with violence, and more. His bond has been set at $39,000.
My take on this terrible situation
I can totally see how this situation got to this point. Of course the passengers were incredibly frustrated, being 9.5 hours into a delay with no answers as to what’s going on. Unfortunately that’s probably a risk when you book a charter airline with limited schedules, but of course people don’t typically think about that when they book their ticket.
The passenger shouldn’t have gotten so frustrated that he stopped a golf cart, because there’s nothing the golf cart attendant can do. I’m guessing he isn’t a terribly experienced traveler, and he didn’t realize that.
And then the police finally showed up. The passenger tried to grab the officer’s arm — which is of course a huge no-no — but rather than deescalating the situation, or at least giving the passenger a warning and telling the guy not to touch him, he full on fights the guy. And then unsurprisingly the irritated passenger has a fight or flight response, and ends up fighting the officer, leading to a gun being drawn (though wouldn’t a taser have done the trick?).
Bottom line
While fights at Miami Airport are a frequent occurrence, typically we don’t see police officers drawing guns, so this escalation is noteworthy in that regard. This incident unfolded when a flight was very delayed, and a passenger wanted answers. So he decided to stop a Turkish Airlines golf cart and demand answers about his delayed Air Century charter flight.
Police ended up being called, and things got physical after the passenger tried to grab the police officer’s arm, causing him to be hit and to be put in a chokehold. He then tried to fight back, leading to a gun being drawn, and then arrest.
What do you make of this incident?
At what point do some of you believe in law and order???? I hope these idiots + (ugh! Ones from Texas of course!?? ) Get prosecuted to the full extent available!! taking the law into your own hands in any fashion such as this is just dumb!!!!
Its Miami, one of the most angry, tense and crime ridden places in North America - No surprise by this behavior... the gate was out of control.
The US is a fxxked up country as you can see so many low quality Americans making comments here. If a Police officer committed crime should be penalized and prosecuted, and if a police officer is doing his/her job should be supported. Nowadays the culture in the US is to against law enforcement no matter what the situation is thus there are so many crimes and murders in the US.
I miss the Lucky that loved to fly. If you want to do political or social opinion, go all in and find a bigger media platform for that purpose. You are clearly smarter than every travel blogger and most professional journalists. If you want to make a difference on the narrative for topics like this, drop the blog and get real on a serious platform. You’ll kick butt and quality of life will be 100x better (or at least easier).
Lifelong Democrat and donor to many D campaigns. That said…
I have no issue with the officer’s actions. Once he’s touched by the unhinged person, there’s no way to know his potential actions. The officer had to react quickly, with a potential scenario that if his gun had been grabbed it could have been used not only against the officer, but other innocent people in the area.
And those that blame the airline for this...
Lifelong Democrat and donor to many D campaigns. That said…
I have no issue with the officer’s actions. Once he’s touched by the unhinged person, there’s no way to know his potential actions. The officer had to react quickly, with a potential scenario that if his gun had been grabbed it could have been used not only against the officer, but other innocent people in the area.
And those that blame the airline for this incident reflect the worst of our current culture. Violence begets violence…poor customer service does not.
The basic idea of individuals having personal responsibility and accountability for their actions seems to be lost these days.
I can only watch this as is hard to believe. Welcome to US of America ! Jesus ! One more reason for me never to set my feet there.
Another day in an armed U.S. Seriously, who would want to even see something like this on a daily basis - mobs, video recordings and mayhem, and guns , you can keep it all
Yep, this doesn't happen anywhere else on the world. Mob mentality is totally an American trait....uh huh. I'm so glad Israel and Mexican authorities don't carry guns.
Meanwhile HK cops barely took their gun even when got beaten by stupid youth who should be at school yet they’re the bad guy. Americaaaan hypocrisy.
Of course there's gonna be a CCP shill.
Yea this is fairly obvious a propaganda drone, pretty obvious to pick them out these day. There becoming more prevalent in the last few year doing whatever they can to pour fuel on fires with one line agitations.
So this question is to the drone, that must mean you think cops should be doing more of this because the police can do it in HK? Or do you think it is abhorrent and as such it shouldn’t be happening in HK either?
This is the perfect example of someone who shouldn’t wear a badge or carry a gun. If I responded to my wrist being grabbed by beating the person and putting them in a choke hold I’d be arrested. As well as drawing a weapon on unarmed person(s)… They should fire that fat twat, but instead I’m sure he will get promoted.
Abolish the police
fire the cop. then find the cops who voice support for him and fire them too.
I work in law enforcement. The male should not have grabbed the Officers hand, but the Officer clearly could have broken free and then warned the individual. Also the Officer should have waited for backup before entering the melee. He was clearly outnumbered. Poor judgement all across. The airlines need to start accepting responsibility for causing these situations in the first place
I know this one gonna be hot, and people would fight in keyboard. Haters gonna hate and lovers gonna love. But has anyone ever think for the same career, as a police officer, in the US, is more dangerous than the other developed countries in the world? Don’t fight, think.
I guess you have never been to an English football match.
I agree with Stuart. And English football isn't even that dangerous.
Galatasaray makes Patriots look like a playground.
It's enforcements like this that leaves a bad image on the entire force. I'm sure 99% of them (may 98% after reading some comments) can make a much better judgement. The sad part is really the people who is trying to justify the use of excessive force.
Have you considered that he's inside the secure area of an airport? And civilians in that area don't have any access to guns, or for that matter, any weapon?
@David,
Through all of this emotion and outrage falling back on talking points and outright hate on this message board…. You Sir added a nugget of nuance and perspective to this situation that has made me reconsider my position or at least temper it, Bravo!
It wasn't one guy coming at the officer. I don't know why you are even trying to claim that to be honest because it is a total misrepresentation of the situation. It was an entire crowd of people coming at him screaming and yelling after he had already been repeatedly assaulted. A taser is of no use against a mob of people. In terms of the initial altercation it could have been handled better, but...
It wasn't one guy coming at the officer. I don't know why you are even trying to claim that to be honest because it is a total misrepresentation of the situation. It was an entire crowd of people coming at him screaming and yelling after he had already been repeatedly assaulted. A taser is of no use against a mob of people. In terms of the initial altercation it could have been handled better, but you really need to keep in mind that this guy grabbed the cop when the cop's back was to him. The cop doesn't have the view that you do in the video. He doesn't have the luxury to sit there and think about what he should do. In that moment all he knows is someone is forcefully grabbing him and he has no idea what they are planning to do next. It is a threat. If you lay your hands on a cop like that they have every right to use force. Also stopping the cart and breaking the key off in the ignition and stealing it? That's a crime I don't care how delayed their flight was.
The charter airline is at fault for not communicating to their customers appropriately.
The passenger is at fault for his behavior and escalating a fight.
The officer is fortunate that he was uninjured, as was able to back away from the crowd without having to go further. I don't believe I could have done any better in his position (unless maybe I was issued a cattle prod to help control the crowd).
Full police report
https://www.miamidade.gov/police/releases/PD211220407338_Battery_On_A_LEO.asp
According to yesterday's local 10 (wplg) news cast, one of the guys was also hiv+ and bit the officer in the head, resulting extra charge of intention to pass HIV to someone.
I must have seen a different video from most of you.
In the video I watched the single officer was being attacked not only by the passenger but by every one of his buddies or casual strangers. At one point I see four people beating on him.
The officer was backing up and the mob was advancing on him forcing him into a smaller space. What do you think the intent was? Hugs and kisses?...
I must have seen a different video from most of you.
In the video I watched the single officer was being attacked not only by the passenger but by every one of his buddies or casual strangers. At one point I see four people beating on him.
The officer was backing up and the mob was advancing on him forcing him into a smaller space. What do you think the intent was? Hugs and kisses? He had no choice but to defend himself and thankfully the mob backed off.
Today's society has no respect for law and order. Don't blame the police, that is not the problem.
Exactly its clear in the video I don't get how people can suggest this was a one on one situation.
"Today's society has no respect for law and order. Don't blame the police, that is not the problem."
Totally agree. Don't blame the police, they are just (over)doing what they are trained to.
The reason society has no respect for law and order is because law and order couldn't earn respect anymore. Society has lost its trust for law and order. Doing what this officer did, doesn't make the law and order more respectful.
While the cop might have overreacted, YOU DONT TOUCH A COP!
Do people not know how to wear masks correctly after all this time??
USA and Eurotards here in the comments would have been cheering if the cop drew his gun and shot an anti-masker.
Because they deserve it.
U are kidding. Person grabs officer arm and you are against him drawing his weapon. Obviously, wokeism is here and none of you are LE.
In civilized places, police officers act like actual professionals and de-escalate situations rather than shooting civilians because they got scared. Funny how police like to claim they're heroes and have some macho image, yet act like scared thugs whenever they are confronted with the slightest bit of non-compliance. Here's how a police used his brains, assessed the situation, and de-escalated a high-pressure situation: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43876772 I shudder to think what would've happened if it was in...
In civilized places, police officers act like actual professionals and de-escalate situations rather than shooting civilians because they got scared. Funny how police like to claim they're heroes and have some macho image, yet act like scared thugs whenever they are confronted with the slightest bit of non-compliance. Here's how a police used his brains, assessed the situation, and de-escalated a high-pressure situation: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43876772 I shudder to think what would've happened if it was in the USA.
You. Don't. Touch. A. Cop.
File a complaint afterward. Live to file the complaint.
With all do respect, the cop was not in the UK. He’s in Florida, which is very different than many parts of the US. Any person in Florida can use lethal force if they feel threatened with significant physical harm. It’s called stand your ground. It is a very broadly worded law and you need to understand it if visiting. Do not touch other people. If you live here, you know that. It really isn’t...
With all do respect, the cop was not in the UK. He’s in Florida, which is very different than many parts of the US. Any person in Florida can use lethal force if they feel threatened with significant physical harm. It’s called stand your ground. It is a very broadly worded law and you need to understand it if visiting. Do not touch other people. If you live here, you know that. It really isn’t a scary place, by US standards. Don’t mess with other people, no problems. Come in thinking responses should be proportional to the intent of your actions, it might not end well. Stand your ground does not consider your intent. Primary consideration is if the other person’s fear of being harmed seems reasonable. So don’t mess with people. Guy on the cart is a poster child for messing with wrong person in the wrong place.
Was this after security? Imagine being in an area where everyone else can literally not have more than a pencil to their name and thinking pulling your gun is a good response. Wowee.
Have you ever had a crowd ready to ambush you? It could've gotten out of hand real quick. Like 20 against 2. You handle that with a weapon so it doesn't happen. But of course everything is fairy tales and they didn't "mean" it.
Exactly this. Ludicrous over-reaction by the cop and shows why only highly trained firearms officers should be allowed to carry guns.
That angry mob coming at him would have quickly overpowered him and taken his gun potentially killing him and other cops in the process. It's not like it has never happened before to cops. Not sure how you think he is stopping the mob otherwise. Some people live in a world of fairytales where if you snap your fingers everyone stops advancing.
Is this a National Geographic video? Feral animals in the wild.
Pax was in the wrong to grab the officers wrist. What the officer did was much worse though. None of his response was justified. And to be quite honest, if I'm involved with an American Police Officer and he has me in a choke hold- I'm going to assume this is now a fight for my life. Officers have no qualms about murdering people via "use of force" and most of the time those officers...
Pax was in the wrong to grab the officers wrist. What the officer did was much worse though. None of his response was justified. And to be quite honest, if I'm involved with an American Police Officer and he has me in a choke hold- I'm going to assume this is now a fight for my life. Officers have no qualms about murdering people via "use of force" and most of the time those officers face no consequences.
Once the choke hold started, the passengers life was on the line and he had every right to fight back against the massively overly aggressive officer. If you think this is okay from the officers POV, you're clearly American and clearly what's wrong with policing in America.
Feel free to stay out of the US if you think it is ok to fight back against the police. A lot of things you stated show you have little to no knowledge of the criminal justice system in the US.
You want to learn about criminal justice system in the US, go ask Kyle Rittenhouse.
These situations will only continue to escalate. This is what you get with $39 fares and FAA/Airlines that aren't throwing the book at these people. As my mother said birds of a feather flock together. If suddenly these morons were looking at some jail time (5-10 years) then the "word" would get really quickly don't do ever consider doing this at an airport or on a plane.
This guy is an idiot and deserved it. Everyone with an IQ of higher than 4 knows you don't put your hands on ANYONE you don't know, let alone a cop.
The best video I found starts just before the man grabs the officer. There's no video (at least that I found) showing the man jumping in front of a golf cart, taking the key and demanding someone from Century Air talk to him about the delay. Also, I can barely make out the conversation between the two.
Too many people are loving being a judge and jury based on a snippet of video. Let's wait...
The best video I found starts just before the man grabs the officer. There's no video (at least that I found) showing the man jumping in front of a golf cart, taking the key and demanding someone from Century Air talk to him about the delay. Also, I can barely make out the conversation between the two.
Too many people are loving being a judge and jury based on a snippet of video. Let's wait and see the whole story. My guess is there's three sides to this story, (1) the passenger who will say he was calmly asking about the delay, (2) the officer who will say the passenger was belligerent, (3) and the truth.
To me, it seems police like to bluff you about 3 sides to the story. Your side, My side, and the Truth.
FWIW, there is only 1 side to the story, the jury's side. Doesn't really matter anymore what really happened.
Cop should be fired and banned from working law enforcement.
How about wait and let it go through their internal review. I think they are much better judges of their SOP and what is and is not acceptable than you or I. If deemed acceptable then maybe the rule book needs to change, but that’s a separate matter and shouldn’t negatively impact the officer. Only a violation of standing policies and procedures should. That’s how the system works, like in any job, be it pilot, Cop, Cabin Crew whatever.
As much as I dislike the police, I would say the events that transpired are well within reasonable. The pax decided to grab a police officers arm as he was turning away. I assume they want my weapon. Also, why are you grabbing me. Personal boundaries. Hopefully the pax does get jail time for this. It is deserved. Idk why people lose their cool at airports and airplanes.
This is more or less my opinion of this as well. As an officer dealing with someone who is upset, I would feel threatened if I was walking away from the person and they suddenly grabbed my arm, especially if my arm was next to my weapon. They could be reaching for my weapon so I am going to neutralize the threat. People always whining about police interactions have probably never been a police officer...
This is more or less my opinion of this as well. As an officer dealing with someone who is upset, I would feel threatened if I was walking away from the person and they suddenly grabbed my arm, especially if my arm was next to my weapon. They could be reaching for my weapon so I am going to neutralize the threat. People always whining about police interactions have probably never been a police officer and have no idea what they're talking about. I agree with the police department in saying that the officer acted according to their training.
Avoiding confrontations with police is fairly easy. Basically don't be a toolbag and put yourself in situations where the police have to deal with you. If you're acting angry and then proceed to grab the officer, you're probably going to get your a$$ kicked, as you should.
You assume he wants your weapon? Have you even seen the video? https://twitter.com/BillyCorben/status/1473309054223233028?s=20 It's very clear he wasn't aiming for the weapon, nor was he even grabbing the police officer in some forceful manner. Instead of de-escalating, and saying "Sir, I need you to let go right now. This is your first and last warning", he goes straight for a sucker punch in the face, then a choke hold. When the other party then gets...
You assume he wants your weapon? Have you even seen the video? https://twitter.com/BillyCorben/status/1473309054223233028?s=20 It's very clear he wasn't aiming for the weapon, nor was he even grabbing the police officer in some forceful manner. Instead of de-escalating, and saying "Sir, I need you to let go right now. This is your first and last warning", he goes straight for a sucker punch in the face, then a choke hold. When the other party then gets (I don't condone it, but I understand why) aggressive, the officer decides to draw his gun in a crowded airport, against an unarmed dude.
This is why so many people in America die to police shootings. Thugs with badges who have a chip on their shoulder, rather than professionals that try to de-escalate volatile situations.
I agree. It is easy for people not experience in law enforcement to judge based on a video, but the reality is the cop in that moment has no idea what this guy is intending to do. All he knows is the guy has got his arm and is holding him which is a direct threat to the officer's safety because it limits his ability to protect himself. Lot of people who are blaming the cop have probably never been in a real physical confrontation in their lives.
@NYGuy24
Therefore the natural response is to sucker punch the guy in the face and then choke hold him?
@David
Yes, from his logic, these foreigners are highly trained special forces who can kill a room full of armed officers using just a plastic spork. Must quickly neutralize the threat to life. Too bad the person was so highly trained, the choke hold was ineffective. Very fortunate that the officer didn't determine that the 3oz shampoo bottle is actually a grenade.
I also wont be surprised if NYGuy24 supports people to open carry...
@David
Yes, from his logic, these foreigners are highly trained special forces who can kill a room full of armed officers using just a plastic spork. Must quickly neutralize the threat to life. Too bad the person was so highly trained, the choke hold was ineffective. Very fortunate that the officer didn't determine that the 3oz shampoo bottle is actually a grenade.
I also wont be surprised if NYGuy24 supports people to open carry a gun into airports before TSA checkpoints because of 2nd Amendment?
@Eskimo
I wouldn't be surprised if NYGuy24 was his equally highly trained colleague.
The officer’s response was totally disproportional and an over reaction. It’s airside and the only ones with guns are the police.
The passenger took hold of his wrist , whilst there was a child there, to ask him to do something.
Obviously the police aren’t responsible for resolving an issue with an airline failure to provide information. He could have said , “let me see what I can do as you’re obviously upset”....
The officer’s response was totally disproportional and an over reaction. It’s airside and the only ones with guns are the police.
The passenger took hold of his wrist , whilst there was a child there, to ask him to do something.
Obviously the police aren’t responsible for resolving an issue with an airline failure to provide information. He could have said , “let me see what I can do as you’re obviously upset”. Contact the airline reps. Situation resolved. In some cultures, especially Latin America, people are more tactile. Surely the police in Miami are familiar with that.
The officer should NOT have punched the man. A battery? Please! The officer should have told him “not to touch me” and then called for back up. The officer needs retraining on how to deescalate situations like these.
It is always easier typing on keyboard than doing the real job. Stop playing as a judge.
I think it was justified, since a mob was formed. It is bad that police has to pull out a gun in a crowded area (since it put innocent bystanders at risk if shots were to be fired), but if you see a mob angry at you, wouldn't you do the same? At least brandish the firearm to force the crowd to back off? But the officer did holster the firearm once the threat has...
I think it was justified, since a mob was formed. It is bad that police has to pull out a gun in a crowded area (since it put innocent bystanders at risk if shots were to be fired), but if you see a mob angry at you, wouldn't you do the same? At least brandish the firearm to force the crowd to back off? But the officer did holster the firearm once the threat has passed. The passenger was wrong in so many levels to the events preceding to and all events after the grabbing officer's arm incident. What I don't understand though, is why the officer didn't give him a warming before punching. It is obvious that the passenger was grabbing the officer's arm to preventing him to walking away while he was talking, which was bad, but I feel it deserves a warning before going physical.
I was having a good day. Then I made a mistake: I read a post whose headline indicated USA, police and gun. Then I made it worse by making an even more obvious mistake: I read the comments.
Ben opened with "Ugh".
+1
Justin, this is why you aren’t a cop. Lay off the peds internet cowboy. -Former cop.
All those airport fees yet nobody is available to provide information when passengers are stuck in long delays like this.
Has everything to do with the airline and fare they are charging and nothing to do with the airport and the fees they levy. And it’s a charter flight to the Dominican Republic, I wouldn’t expect any level of customer service.
In the end it falls on airport management. They take money from the charters and are responsible for what happens in the building.
The airport isn’t responsible for hiring a person to liaise between this charter company’s network control and the 3rd party maintenance contractor to provide customer service info to the passengers. You might think they should, but they don’t, and you might think they should be responsible, but they aren’t. That is not a service the airport provides on behalf of the airline nor for the benefit of the customer. That is what is bundled in...
The airport isn’t responsible for hiring a person to liaise between this charter company’s network control and the 3rd party maintenance contractor to provide customer service info to the passengers. You might think they should, but they don’t, and you might think they should be responsible, but they aren’t. That is not a service the airport provides on behalf of the airline nor for the benefit of the customer. That is what is bundled in your fare you pay to the airline, which is responsible for this service in their contract of carriage. Should the airport fees be referenced when complaining about how your flight was late because they had flight attendant staffing issues? No that’s the airline’s responsibility, just as this was an airline customer service staffing issue (or more likely the 3rd party contracted handling agency). Is the jetway suffering a mechanical failure and it takes 30 min to open the door to deplane the airline’s fault….. Now that is the Airport’s fault and you would be right to complain about those fees obviously not being well spent.
So why do airports have items like cots for long delays? It’s a billion dollar transportation hub, not a flea market that is just rented to vendors.
This was also not a routine delay. It was 9.5 hours. Many airports around the world have airside help desks available to any passenger. It’s not an abstract concept.
Of course they have a help desk but that’s not what you said. You said it was the airport’s responsibility to provide information on the delay, which again it is not. No one at the help desk would know anything beyond what is on the screens in the terminal, especially for a charter. And I’ve worked several IROPs and have yet to see cots.
I’m not saying this is the way it should be, this is just the way it is …..coming from an airline worker. And I hate to tell you (in the US at least) most facilities ARE flea markets (complete with rats) just renting to vendors.
Have a good night and stay safe!
Grabbing a cop in the State of Florida is battery on a Law Enforcement Officer, a crime. He's lucky he wasn't shot, which is what I would have done.
All the rest of the free public can only hope people like you are not a law enforcement officer, armed or not.
Ahhh the ever sanctimonious Eskimo speaks !
lefties gotta left
Opinions need to be separated from the law. The holding of one with the intention of stopping movement is detaining, in this case the civilian was attempting to detain the police officer. The police officer used reasonable physical force to stop the attempted detaining which escalated into resisting arrest and assault. At the moment the officer realized he was being surrounded and soon to be overwhelmed, he drew his service weapon to create space, at...
Opinions need to be separated from the law. The holding of one with the intention of stopping movement is detaining, in this case the civilian was attempting to detain the police officer. The police officer used reasonable physical force to stop the attempted detaining which escalated into resisting arrest and assault. At the moment the officer realized he was being surrounded and soon to be overwhelmed, he drew his service weapon to create space, at which time he re-holstered his weapon. His actions were by the book and reasonable.
You never touch anyone you don't know. We learned that in pre-school.
I don't think they teach that in Dominican Republic.
And I don't know what book you're reading but as far as I know, there isn't one textbook regarding the using a service weapon to create space. Most of the time it's a judgement call for the officer. More often than not, a good judgement. But this incident isn't it. The other person is unarmed. There is no immediate threat to the safety of anyone (but...
I don't think they teach that in Dominican Republic.
And I don't know what book you're reading but as far as I know, there isn't one textbook regarding the using a service weapon to create space. Most of the time it's a judgement call for the officer. More often than not, a good judgement. But this incident isn't it. The other person is unarmed. There is no immediate threat to the safety of anyone (but the victim), no weapons were drawn. (LOL, or maybe TSA really sucks). And worse, no verbal warning. Losing a fist fight doesn't justify an officer to draw a gun. The officer lost control of the situation, failed to detain the suspect, and didn't even have teamwork with the other officer.
The clear contrast would be the other officer in MD Police jacket. That is how he should have handled the situation.
Lawyers would agree they can't see any justification to draw a weapon.
That person assaulted the officer and deserves the charges. But the officer used excessive force and failed miserably to deescalate the situation. I also wonder how would it play out if this was a white male.
In our time of police brutality and #BLM, it's unfortunate to say this but the officer's career is gone. Guilty or not, in the public eye he is.
“though wouldn’t a taser have done the trick?”
No, what would have done the trick is for the passenger to not have grabbed the officer. People antagonize and then wonder and whine about why they end up being on the wrong end of the gun.
I don't understand how people comment that is "police violence" do they want police officers to be killed by doing nothing. A lot of people prefer violent, disturbing people survive and continuing to cause troubles. Some people don't understand police officers are provoked and are under a lot of stress. I know that, of curse, there are some exemptions. Some officers. Need more training.
Yes, some officers need a lot more training.
But you are suggesting police officers are getting killed in an airport sterile area?
Get killed by a plastic spork and 3oz shampoo bottle?
That will make an officer under a lot of stress?
And flexing muscle and full authority at an international airport where many people are foreigners? Gate agents can probably handle the situation better than this officer. But yes the guy deserves...
Yes, some officers need a lot more training.
But you are suggesting police officers are getting killed in an airport sterile area?
Get killed by a plastic spork and 3oz shampoo bottle?
That will make an officer under a lot of stress?
And flexing muscle and full authority at an international airport where many people are foreigners? Gate agents can probably handle the situation better than this officer. But yes the guy deserves to be arrested but I don't think he deserves to be assaulted.
Who got assaulted first?
And some of the obese Americans need to film the altercation, the things people do for their 5-min CNN fame.
You grab a strangers wrist and who knows what the response is gonna be. Keep your hands to yourself. Stop trying to defend stupidity.
Ban masks at airports and inflight. Traveling is tiring enough . Limit the oxygen intake exacerbates passenger frustration.
What are you talking about? Where's the evidence? Surgeons are performing 6-8 hour procedures wearing masks that require high level of skills and specialty. They already proved masks don't lower oxygen by using pulse oxymetry. Stupid comment.
Related to the post, not a good idea to put hands on an officer. Could've ended worse.
Your oxygen intake isn’t sufficient without a mask.
Mask can help prevent COVID, but not stupidity.
There is no evidence that masks have prevented the spread of COVID. Now that everyone is vaxxed up why not remove the mask mandate on airplanes? It’s ok to eat out in restaurants and go to markets without masks right ? Removing the mask mandates on planes would lower passenger misbehavior. If you still want to wear a mask that’s fine.
There are multiple studies out there which support that masks have prevented transmission of virus, how do I know? because I am a physician and while our medical field keeps putting out evidence and articles, people are stubborn and keep spreading misinformation and it has been frustrating. Like your comment about limiting oxygen with masks. The other part is, not everyone is vaccinated, you don't need vaccines to fly in the US, so that's incorrect...
There are multiple studies out there which support that masks have prevented transmission of virus, how do I know? because I am a physician and while our medical field keeps putting out evidence and articles, people are stubborn and keep spreading misinformation and it has been frustrating. Like your comment about limiting oxygen with masks. The other part is, not everyone is vaccinated, you don't need vaccines to fly in the US, so that's incorrect as well. If airlines required proof of vaccination to fly with them, you might have a point with masks no longer being required. If more people took the virus seriously from the beginning, there would be fewer deaths and likely fewer mutations by now.
The Omicron cases have rapidly decreased after the initial spike. Not a single human being on the planet doesn’t take the pandemic seriously. It’s called logic. So you can go to a restaurant without a mask but not fly without one ?
You do not sit next to a stranger when you eat in restaurant, you do not stay in restaurant for longer than most flight, you do not use a 3 square feet lavatory in restaurant either. It is funny that misbehavior could be attributed to mask. Oh of course, if you want to find excuse, everything went wrong in this country could blame mask.
I can’t remember the last time I even heard of the police in the USA having a positive effect on any situation. Does it happen? I’d genuinely think long and hard before calling 911 when on holiday as it’s like pouring petrol on any situation.
stop watching the media and actually spend time w/ police.
Yes, police diffuse lots of situations w/o any problem. They just don't circulate on the internet.
And if you think restricting police in Miami or any airport will work out, you need to look at the crime statistics around the country.
We don't need airline employees or other travelers dealing w/ out of control people. We need police to get rid of these people.
...stop watching the media and actually spend time w/ police.
Yes, police diffuse lots of situations w/o any problem. They just don't circulate on the internet.
And if you think restricting police in Miami or any airport will work out, you need to look at the crime statistics around the country.
We don't need airline employees or other travelers dealing w/ out of control people. We need police to get rid of these people.
And the real issue which has not been addressed in this discussion is why the US and Miami airport is not better controlling the carriers that operate, charter or not.
We don't know what passengers were told but if they were not given a reasonable estimation of when the flight would ultimately operate, then the problem is on the carrier.
Of course stupid people overreact but we aren't seeing people fly off the handle on either end of American or United's India flights and there have been extensive delays on both carriers over the past week.
"Yes, police diffuse lots of situations w/o any problem. They just don't circulate on the internet."
I totally agree, but it's called doing their job.
It's when police are not doing their job properly that the media picks it up.
And I think most people who spend time with police are either friends and family of an officer or criminals.
I also agree, we need to deal with out of control people. But we also need to deal with out of control law enforcement officers too.
Maybe we should defund the police, I’m sure that would solve everything…. Oh wait!
Good. I'll remember that when someone assaults a cabin crew member OR doesn't wear a mask, and you are begging "where are the police at??? Arrest him/her immediately.
Seriously? Tim is right - you need to turn off the news. I lived in the United States for three years and the officers I met were ALWAYS respectful, professional, courteous and doing their job well. At the same time I felt they commanded respect. They got that balance right. Which is not the experience I have encountered elsewhere.
Simple; Don’t put your hands on anyone you don’t know especially when there is that level of frustration. Police or not. If you do, expect a physical response. It’s just that simple. In December 2015 I was in Paris this was shortly after the nightclub shootings when Paris police were on high alert and had a very visible presence in the city. My wife and I were going to Sacré-Cœur and at the base of...
Simple; Don’t put your hands on anyone you don’t know especially when there is that level of frustration. Police or not. If you do, expect a physical response. It’s just that simple. In December 2015 I was in Paris this was shortly after the nightclub shootings when Paris police were on high alert and had a very visible presence in the city. My wife and I were going to Sacré-Cœur and at the base of the hill. Lots of North Africans camp out there trying to perform this “bracelet trick” where they tie a handmade bracelet to your wrist and it’s nearly impossible to get off and thus they charge you for the bracelet. This dirty practice was tried on me but I knew what they were doing so I kept my hands in my jacket pocket. I said no thank you but the man instead reached for my wrist and grabbed me. At that point, I immediately shoved him to the ground and was ready for a fight when within seconds a group of armed police who are based near the Sacré-Cœur grabbed me and the other man to separate us. It ended just fine with us going our separate ways although I was very upset someone thinks that is ok to do. The rule is do NOT go grabbing other people EVER unless you want things to go badly.
Always making up your own rules. You're making Americans look bad everywhere in the world.
I would say those North Africans were making themselves look bad. But keep making stuff up, bottom line keep your hands to yourself.
@Dan77W
Those North Africans you are referring to are French immigrants.
But a racist like you wouldn't understand that and probably thinks that Obama is from Africa.
The other video that starts earlier shows the cop was 200% wrong
"He did nothing wrong and exactly what he is trained to do"
Which is why everyone with a brain agrees policing is completely broken.
In Germany we’d see that as some kind of unreasonable police violence. I mean, touching the wrist isn’t the right thing to do but the aggressive and violent answer of the officer is not the right answer either to this and obviously accelerating the escalation of the situation. A calm, clear and unmistakable verbal response that acts deescalating would likely have been more reasonable and target oriented towards calming down the situation.
Yes, but in America everything is more violent and trigger-happy.
Uncle,
A calm, clear verbal response might work in Germany but largely does not work on a flight to Santo Domingo or Santiago de Caballeros.
Agree completely - interestingly enough once the police officer drew his gun he seemed to remember about de-escalation in that he immediately retreated, which worked. I get the impression that many other officers don't do that, which is why we end up with so many deaths.
Looking at the video, it looks like the officer did not have a taser, (or pepper spray) on his duty belt.
Great idea if you are thinking in pepper spray in that situation. As clueless as the woke mob is made.
The full video is the one. And imho the man, while clearly unhinged and upset, did not forcibly grab the officer's wrist. It was more a plea for help. The officer's response was disproportionate and ended up leading to the incident escalating. This is exactly what you are trained not to do, escalate. The officer needed to just calmly but forcibly warn the man that if he touches him again he will be arrested.
Lmao Grabbing police officer wrist plea for help? The officer is mercy enough already not arresting the guy for breaking the golf cart.
Yes, in Latin cultures it is very common. Certainly not worthy of physically attacking the man, no matter how unhinged he was at the time. There was no threat whatsoever.
1. This is not Latin America
2. This is not a situation he is asking for help. The police was called since he broke the golf cart
3. People believe what they believe.
It's Miami. It's a Latin culture. He should be well aware and very cognizant of the culture.
Next time my AA flight gets delayed, I'm going to go up to a Delta gate agent and grab their wrist as a "plea for help". Because they are going to help me.
Give me a break. Stop defending these criminals.
Both parties are in the wrong here. Obviously, do not grab a police officer. The officer's response was just about the worst thing you could do though. Also a gun in this situation is a terrible idea, even if he was feeling threatened. One missed shot and he's hit one of the many spectators behind the guy.
Can't believe the amount of phones/cameras pointed at the cop when he got his gun out. Imagine the pressure on him in that situation. And again, ultimately started by the passenger but all the attention on the cop.
Airport or not, touching a police officer including when they are walking away (which is de-escalation) is the definition of asking for a confrontation. The guy is lucky he doesn't have a bullet in his body right now.
The No Fly list includes charters, right? There are no rental cars or buses to the DR.
You shouldn’t need a warning to not grab anyone, let alone a police officer. If this were a guy grabbing a woman’s arm as she was trying to walk away we’d be having a whole different conversation about how he deserved it.