A police officer at Miami Airport pulled a gun on an angry crowd of passengers after a fight escalated from a verbal altercation to a physical one.
Officer At Miami Airport Pulls Gun After Discussion Turns Into Brawl
According to initial reports, the incident started when a passenger decided to help himself to an airport transport vehicle (golf cart) after his flight was delayed by 12 hours. Police were called when he refused to return the key.
Video posted on Twitter shows a man arguing with a police officer. The police officer appears to begin to walk away, but the man grabs the arm of the police officer so as to continue the conversation.
The police officer responds by charging at the passenger with great force and attacking him.
AIRPORT BRAWL: At least two people were arrested after a brawl broke out between passengers and police at the Miami International Airport Monday night, the full report here: https://t.co/zYX4kLK9MP #8NN #airportbrawl pic.twitter.com/rdkFkvXT0w
— 8 News Now (@8NewsNow) December 21, 2021
Other joins in the fracas and the officer soon finds himself backing up and pulls a gun, even as another officer arrives to assist.
The video ends, but two men are eventually arrested and order is restored.
Questionable Conduct From Police Officer
I want to comment on the conduct of the police officer. We ask so much of our law enforcement officers and I greatly respect the profession and the willingness of officers to put themselves at risk. From my own vantage point, I see most police officers as decent folks trying to do their job well, just like all of us in our own spheres of influence.
But a police officer is really like an airline pilot in that there is no room for error. Police officers cannot have a bad day, especially when we entrust them with a deadly weapon.
When I look a that video, I see a passenger acting like an idiot, but a cop acting unprofessionally. The two were in the midst of a heated argument and the passenger does not appear to be attacking the officer – he just wanted to talk more and uses his hands (something I’ve observed in Latin culture on many occasions).
The police officer’s reaction seems quite disproportionate to me. Sure, arrest the man for stealing the golf cart. But if this video is accurate, the fight escalated because the officer did not like his arm being touched.
Miami Airport issued the following statement on the incident:
Like airports across the country, MIA is seeing record-high passenger numbers this winter travel season. Unfortunately, that passenger growth has come with a record-high increase nationwide in bad behavior as well, such as the incident this evening at MIA. Disruptive passengers face police arrest, civil penalties up to $37,000, being banned from flying, and potential federal prosecution. We have worked so hard to rebound from the pandemic and make traveling safe again, so we can visit our loved ones.
Like all airports across the country? I don’t think so, Miami…
CONCLUSION
Throw the book at the man who stole the keys from the airport golf cart and anyone who attacked the officer, but video of the incident suggests the officer’s conduct was probably unnecessary in order to contain the incident. We hold cops in high esteem precisely because we ask so much of them, including the discernment to respond proportionally to troubled people.
(H/T: View From The Wing)
Have to disagree with you, Matthew
He did more than simply touch the officer. He grabbed the officer. Can’t do that. He then came after the officer a second time
Give him his 25 years
You really should rewatch the video again. It is a very common gesture in Latin America to gently touch the arm or wrist when you want to get someone’s attention. It does not appear forcible or threatening to me at all, Certainly, as an officer at MIA you would expect should at least be familiar with these cultural gestures. Even if not, even if there was pressure and intent, the response was disproportionate. He could have easily stepped back and issued a forcible warning to the man to not touch him again or he would be cuffed. Officers are trained NOT to escalate when there is an opportunity to calm a situation down. He still had that opportunity.
Miami is not in Latin America.
Apparently you have never spent time there, lol. Or at least outside your hotel.
Stu is completely clueless. Florida is a stand your ground state. You don’t touch ANYONE unless you are prepared to be on the wrong end of lethal force. The idea that this can comes down to cultural sensitivities is beyond moronic. People have been killed in Florida for less threatening behavior than this and it holds up in court as self defense. By local standards, this is reasonable restraint. You don’t have to agree with the law but when in Rome.
Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
Ohhhh Miami!!! LOL
I am a police officer and I don’t care where you are from or what your culture is, if someone grabs my hand or touches me, it’s game over. I guarantee in the Latin or Hispanic culture, if you touch a police officer in your country – the outcome would be much different than in the US (and in this video), it could be a trip to the hospital.
I don’t understand why you think touching your hand entitles you to so violently attack the person. Can you shoot him?
The timeless art of seduction
I believe you are an attorney. Stand your ground. It is the law in Florida. Yes, he can shoot him. The standard is not whether the toucher feels their action is threatening. Standard is on perception of the office in this case. With law as written, he can shoot and in most counties charges won’t even be filed. By Florida standards, the officer is on pretty firm ground in this case and there is zero obligation to show proportional response.
“if someone grabs my hand or touches me, it’s game over”
A cop thinking at any point that “it’s game over” is problematic. There’s nuance to any situation, and many members of the public would question a cop’s inability to understand that disqualifying of the job they hold.
Idiots like you shouldn’t be near a badge let alone a gun. I also like how you justify everything by generalizing “Latin and Hispanic “ culture and their policing protocols. I actually doubt you are a actual cop probably one of those loser rent a cops who have on Kevlar vest while guarding my local supermarket.
*Pats your head. Aren’t you special. The next Derek Chauvin trial in waiting.
You try to kill people by choking them because they grabbed your arm to get your attention and you feel justified? You’re a thug and tyrant. We need to kill government officials like you to take our freedom back, you’re an anti American piece of sh!t.
Throw the book at the cop, not because he started a brawl, but he did so while removing his mask while a Brandon mask mandate is in effect!
I believe it is a state law in Florida that mask mandates cannot be enforced. Congress would have to override that, I believe
Not at airports.
You going to try him in federal court? Good luck with that. In absence of superseding federal law, state regulation still applies in federally regulated spaces such as airports. Federal jurisdiction is very limited. That’s why people in several states have done absurd/moronic things like take an open carry weapon directly up to security screening and tsa has to sit on their bands. With limited exceptions, when you are in state you live by local or state law. There is no blanket exception for airports. You can argue that this guy is morally wrong if you want but arguing that he did anything that justifies more than clickbate article is likely not true in this case.
Hopefully one of the two arrested was the police officer who was way out of order. This is the sort of thing you might expect to happen in a third world country, oh but wait, US police have a strong record of shooting people in the back.
“oh but wait, US police have a strong record of shooting people in the back.”
If you’re referring to Jacob Blake, that was 100% a justified shooting. Or were the cops just supposed to let him take a bunch of kids on a high-speed chase with a weapon in the car?
Florida: God’s Waiting Room. Well Big Guy, what are you waiting for?
I hold cops in very low esteem precisely because they behave this way time and time again. I have never had the need to be in a physical altercation in my life, and I never will… Not because I’m a coward, but because I know how to use my words, control my emotion, and can attempt to calm others down.
Everyone has been screened on the secure side of an airport, so there’s really no need for a cop to be walking around with a gun. There really isn’t. This thug got his ego hurt, started a fight, and then pulled a gun when he realized he wasn’t going to win. If he was there to protect and serve (which he isn’t), he would have calmed the man down and this would be a non story. Even if he grabbed the cop’s wrist, that really isn’t a big deal. Somebody gave me the middle finger when I was driving yesterday; I didn’t follow it up with an assault, I just moved on with my life.
I inadvertently cut off a guy earlier this week on an onramp and he followed me for 10 miles swerving close to me, rolling down his window, and deploying his middle fingers. I responded by looking at him and laughing, which enraged him further.
In the few cases where emotions are frayed, I slow down and generally they don’t want to drive slowly so they express themselves and drive on forward. If they had been following me for a distance, I’d look for a police car and pull up in front of it.
People such as that are looking for trouble and they’ll eventually find all they could ever hope for. Just not with me.
I don’t agree with you. How does the officer know he just wanteed to talk more. He is not going to wait to see what comes next. Touch a police officer while your mad is aksing for a disporportionaly response.
Use a taser. It so easy to incite a riot. They need to start canine patrolling now since every airport seems to have unruly persons.
Cop should have taken that idiot out of the gene pool, along with the other ‘ots getting in the line of fire so they could have 15 seconds of tiktok fame.
Glad with have Christian right blog that calls out this kind of idiotic behaviour.
Not productive.
Watch closely. That idiot bit the officer on the head requiring stiches..and hopfully the idiot did not have a saliva transmitted disease.
“But a police officer is really like an airline pilot in that there is no room for error.”
You’ve obviously never been an airline pilot. I make a mistake about once every five minutes when I’m flying. Do you really think the reason flying is so safe because pilots never make mistakes or never have a bad day? Pilots, like police officers, are humans. The reason flying is so safe is because the system is designed in such a way to tolerate regular mistakes by humans, with multiple layers of redundancy so that even if someone makes a mistake, it’s not the end of the world.
I’m not talking about forgetting to trim the flaps. I’m talking about crashing the plane…or shooting a suspect who doesn’t deserve to be shot.
On what basis do you get to decide who deserves to be shot? Even in Florida, there is no moral standard for someone deserving to get shot. There is a law that provides for the shooter to avoid jail time if they felt threatened. Even stand your ground makes no provision for anyone deserving to be shot. It simply specifies a standard for self defense. I get that the video feels wrong to you but I guess that’s why LA feels like home and MIA likely never will for you. To each their own. Love the blog, btw. I’ve never owned a gun but have zero issue with the law and broad reaching impact it has on social norms.
LOLs only in Florida