There must have been a full moon on Wednesday, because the crazies were out in full force at US airports. First there was the guy in Charlotte who decided to undress after finding out his flight to Jamaica was oversold (and based on his farmer’s tan I can certainly understand why he wanted to go to Jamaica so badly).
But perhaps the more “graphic” incident actually happened at Los Angeles International Airport Terminal 6, where a man was tased after a security breach.
Via NBC Los Angeles:
Airport police were notified by Transportation Security Administration officers that a man was not cooperating with security officials in the screening area at Terminal 6.
As police tried to help the TSA officers, the man refused to cooperate and pushed past an officer. They followed the man and detained him at Gate 66.
The man was identified as 21-year-old Christian James Heinz of Danville. He was booked for trespassing and resisting arrest, said airport police spokeswoman Alicia Hernandez.
The best part has to be that Verne Troyer, also known as “Mini Me” from the Austin Powers movie, captured the interaction on video (as an actor you’d think he would know how to hold a cellphone, but apparently not):
Because he was in a wheelchair he couldn’t easily go up the stairs, but someone else captured what happened there:
Details still aren’t totally clear as to what kind of a “breach” there was here. Did the guy run through the security checkpoint without being screened? Did he even have a ticket? If he made it through the checkpoint without being screened I’m surprised they didn’t have to shut down the terminal and screen everyone again.
Fortunately no one was injured, though I sure as heck would be pretty scared if I were one of the passengers watching police hold someone at gunpoint past security.
The man that was tasered to death in Canada could not speak English and could not understand it. They tasered him at least six times. No excuse for that kind of behavior. The didn't have an interpreter and his poor mother was waiting for his flight and kept asking about him. No one was any help to her. The FAMS should not be allowed to take your seat if yours is already assigned. Not sure what good they are anyway. I certainly wouldn't feel safer with them aboard.
@JustSaying I'm pretty sure that the sky marshals are randomly assigned to flights on a last minute basis. And I'm pretty sure that they are given a random seat assignment, so that people don't know where they are sitting. Also curious to know how you found out that it was the sky marshal
@JustSaying - "Tomorrow will be the last time in my life I ever fly UA"
What do you suggest UA do about FAMs wanting your seat?
"because of piss poor planning on the Sky Marshall’s and United’s part to not block the seat they wanted in the first place"
Are you suggesting that the FAMS be required to make it's schedule 6 months in advance? And that they be locked into that schedule, with no...
@JustSaying - "Tomorrow will be the last time in my life I ever fly UA"
What do you suggest UA do about FAMs wanting your seat?
"because of piss poor planning on the Sky Marshall’s and United’s part to not block the seat they wanted in the first place"
Are you suggesting that the FAMS be required to make it's schedule 6 months in advance? And that they be locked into that schedule, with no ability to respond to any new information they may get about a specific flight that may be targeted?
"or have the decency to keep a family of 2 (on the same reservation) together"
Again, what do you expect UA to do about FAMs wanting your seat? And why do you think the FAMS should care one way or the other about keeping families together? That's not their job.
Tomorrow will be the last time in my life I ever fly UA….had 2 FC tickets SFO-IAD with seat assignments since November…….today as I tried to check in my aisle seat had been taken away (Sky Marshall)………and my wife who has medical issues that need not be shared will now have the anxiety of having to sit near Sgt Snuffy because of piss poor planning on the Sky Marshall’s and United’s part to not block...
Tomorrow will be the last time in my life I ever fly UA….had 2 FC tickets SFO-IAD with seat assignments since November…….today as I tried to check in my aisle seat had been taken away (Sky Marshall)………and my wife who has medical issues that need not be shared will now have the anxiety of having to sit near Sgt Snuffy because of piss poor planning on the Sky Marshall’s and United’s part to not block the seat they wanted in the first place or have the decency to keep a family of 2 (on the same reservation) together………that’s fine as a retired Army Officer I am not amused at the lack of leadership on both their parts and will have no difficulty buying a Gulf carrier seat in the future………..US flag carriers…..it is a del inflicted wound that open skies mean you lose……….
He's lucky he wasn't black!
Vertical video is just as perfectly fine as vertical photos are. The weird snobbish prejudice about them is just because, for a long time, no one had video cameras that worked well in that orientation, maybe? In any case, it's here, and it's getting more popular as more video is shot on tiny handheld devices. Get over it.
It's good to see the officers give the man a chance to stop and surrender first. Though if this guy was brown they probably would have used a real gun and shot him immediately
@OberBoberGrober: Lucky isn't referring to him not capturing the action perfectly all the time, he's talking about holding the phone vertically instead of horizontally.
@ OberBoberGrober Tell me you're kidding. He can hold the phone horizontally and drive just as easily as he can hold it vertically. As can someone who's walking and filming - it's just multi-tasking. You're the one insulting disabled people.
If he had heart problems then maybe (1) he should not have pushed and fought with the officer and (2) should have stopped when the officer asked him to stop.
The officer asked him nicely to stop at least a dozen times. Not to mention the fact that the officer warned him several times that he was going to get tazed if he didn't stop.
Happened at YVR a few years ago where the RCMP tazered a Polish fellow who went a little crazy after being detained for many hours at immigration in a holding area with no contact with anyone. The tazer killed him as he had a bad heart.
Taser gun? Seriously? What this guy actually did? Jesus... they're not normal. File a lawsuit for a few million and fire these idiots before they're going to accidentally kill a passenger next time... What if this guy has heart problems?
Ben, being in a wheelchair you need to focus on driving the chair and making a video. Your remarks are insulting to all disabled people.