Police Restrain Unruly Traveler at Orlando Airport

Most vacationers come to Florida to relax on the beaches and soak up the sun.

At least one traveler, apparently, came to get intoxicated and pick fights.

The traveler, which one eyewitness described as a “drunk man,” got into an argument with employees of JetBlue near Gate 3 in Terminal A of Orlando International Airport on Oct. 22.

The flyer, identified as 45-year-old Brandon Strong, was irritated because his 6:45 p.m. flight to Salt Lake City, Utah, had been delayed until 8:51 p.m.

According to Bay News 9, Strong started arguing with other passengers in the waiting area, finally verbally abusing one woman in terms so strong, a Jet Blue employee told Strong he would not be welcome on the flight.

Strong objected and headed towards the closed gate door. Jet Blue employees and passengers then tried to restrain Strong.

Someone called the Orlando Police, and when an officer arrived about ten minutes later, he was told that Strong had gotten into a fistfight with one of the Jet Blue employees.

‘Where is my 8-year-old?’

The officer could smell alcohol, and realized he had an angry drunk on his hands. The officer asked Strong to put down his bags and accompany him away from the gate but Strong refused.

When the police officer tried to grab Strong, the would-be flyer told him that if he didn’t let go, “bad things would happen,” Bay News 9 reported.

When Strong continued his threats, the police officer pepper-sprayed him and tried to put him in handcuffs.

According the WESH, the officer used a leg sweep to bring Strong to the floor, but the Utah man refused to surrender. Strong ripped the microphone free from the officer’s vest and pulled one of the officer’s spare magazines off his belt.

Strong continued to resist, despite having been pepper-sprayed. A Jet Blue supervisor and several nearby passengers joined the police and helped hold down the struggling Strong.

Orlando Police had to pepper-spray Strong before they could get him into handcuffs. Samantha Lake via Storyful screenshot

More officers arrived, and Strong eventually ended up in handcuffs. Even then, Strong refused to cooperate, dropping to his knees and refusing to walk. He demanded to be allowed to go to the restroom—and then thought to ask, “Where is my 8-year-old?”

Bay News 9 reported that Brandon Strong’s 8-year-old son was traveling with his father and witnessed the whole event.

Jet Blue employees took care of the child and till a family member could arrive.

Strong faces multiple charges, including battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting an officer with violence, disorderly intoxication, battery, and child neglect.

Gas Attack

While using pepper spray to help subdue an unruly suspect is a lot less damaging than simply beating the suspect with clubs, there is the factor of collateral damage to consider.

Travelers passing through the Orlando airport reported feeling the effects of lingering clouds of pepper spray. The noxious but non-toxic spray spread as far as three gates away, one passenger tweeted.

Despite the lingering pepper spray, travelers gave the officer a round of applause as they dragged Strong out of the building.

From NTD.tv

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