You're putting a hand on you. >> I am. I am. Okay. You What is Okay. Are you going to comply or not? Are you complying? Yes. Yes or no? >> What are you doing? >> Get in the vehicle. >> What are you doing? On April 4th, 2023 at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport, a Southwest Airlines passenger was denied boarding for intoxication and arrested after refusing to leave the secure gate area. She was booked into county jail on a misdemeanor obstruction charge. This is that encounter. What makes this stop analytically significant is the precise moment a consensual escort became a fourth amendment seizure and whether the criminal predicate was on record when that line was crossed. >> Get in the vehicle. >> Okay. When did you rebook her? >> 24 hours. She won't be able to travel with us for 24 hours. >> Okay, let's take her out. >> She can't get to the flight. >> Hey guys, how you doing? >> I'm here. >> All right. So I guess you >> I already know >> every day same old >> please go home. >> Yeah, but you're not going to go home until tomorrow. They might be rebooking. >> It's not happening today. >> I have to go home. >> It's not happening today. >> Do you know anybody here in Atlanta that you could possibly stay with? >> Okay. Well, next time you got to wait to drink until you get to your destination. >> She can sit still on all the things she can do, but other than that, you know, she's not getting that room. >> No. Well, she's already booked for tomorrow, so I'm taking her. >> I'm booked. >> They have you rebooked for tomorrow. >> Can I talk to >> mom? >> Yeah. Got to talk to the office. >> Yeah. >> Got to talk to the officer. Jessie. Jesse, listen to me. >> Mom. >> No, it's me. >> No, I know. Hold on. >> No, we're in another city. >> No, we're not going anywhere. >> Well, you're going somewhere, >> but where you choose to go, that's up to you. Hi, ma'am. This is Officer Kendall. I've been called out because she's intoxicated. Of course, with Southwest policy and guidelines, they're not going to let her fly for another 24 hours. So, I understand. >> So, I have to take her out of a secure area. >> So, I would just explain to your daughter that she needs to go ahead and comply or she will go to jail for public. >> Um, all we're trying to do is just take her out of a secure area. She at this point she's not detained, but I have to remove her from the gate. >> Might want to relax. >> She's not booked until tomorrow. Told you that. So, if you could explain that to her for me, I'd appreciate it. >> Okay. Why'd you hang up on your mother? >> All right. >> So, I'm going I'm going. >> Okay. Come on. I'm going to take you out of a secure area. You might want to talk to your mom. Talk to your mother. Don't hang up on your mom. >> I'm not I'm somebody >> just bring it down. >> Can I go to the bathroom? If you need to use the restroom. >> Yes, I do. >> Okay, come on. Let's go to the restroom. Get your bag. Okay. >> Yeah, cuz it's going to be a problem. I'm not even going to leave that out there. Come on. Let's go. You said you need to use the bathroom. Let's go. Come on. >> Right now, you're just going to use the restroom and then we can talk to your mom and see if she can book you a problem. >> A hotel. >> It's not going to be a problem. Just go with >> Apparently, it is. Apparently, it is. >> Where's the restroom at? Ma'am, it's going to be right here. This way. >> Okay, this is it. I'm telling you one time. I'm out here to take you out of a secure area. If you continue to act this way, you're going to be arrested. Now, let's go. We're just going to go out of the secure area. You can call your mom and see if she might be able to book you a hotel. Okay. Let's go. >> Come on. >> Did she have anything else with her other than a pocketbook? Okay. All right. And she's rebooked. Listen, your rebooked for tomorrow >> for tomorrow. What time >> is 2:30? >> 2:00. Okay. Come on. What is her name? >> Come on. >> Come on. Her name is Jessica. >> No. What happened was unfortunately they >> My name is Jessica. >> Come on. >> My name is not Kate. >> Okay. What is your name? >> Jessica. >> Okay, Jessica. Come on. Let's go. >> No. I'm >> Come on. >> Come on, Jessica. Let's go. >> Listen, Jessica, you're going to work yourself up into something and you don't want to go to jail in another state. Let's go. >> Come on. I got to take you out of a secure area. Let's go. >> Come on. Breathe and walk. Come on. Just breathe. Come on, man. Come on. Let's go. Let's go. Put your foot down in front of the other. You're okay. Come on. >> Okay. You know what? >> That's fine. We're not going to do this tonight. >> You're putting handles on you. >> I am. >> I am. Okay. You What is Okay. Are you going to comply or not? Are you complying? Yes. Yes or no? Now, let's walk to the car so I can cross you all. >> Let's go. >> Let's go. Come on. Let's go down the steps. Let's go. >> Let's go. Mom, I'm ready. >> Put your hands behind your bed. >> You're like no. >> You are. You're publicly pregnant. You won't listen. >> No. Mom, ow. Radio, you can start another unit. I have a female custody. Oh, I need your email. >> Okay. Okay. I want 28 at Charlie. My children, please help me. >> No. No. Let's go. No. Let's go. Let's go. >> Go down. Let's go. Let's go. >> No. No. No. No, no, >> let's go. >> No, >> LET'S GO. >> LET'S GO. >> NO, >> NO. >> Let's go. Get up. >> No. >> Get up. >> No. >> Get up. >> No. No. No. No. What are you doing? What are you doing? Throw me. >> No. >> Get in the vehicle. >> What are you doing? >> Get in the vehicle. What are you doing? What are you doing? What are YOU DOING? HELP. HELP. [screaming] NO. NO. NO. NO. [screaming] NO. NO. Come on. You're good. >> Yeah, you're fine. >> No, >> you're fine. >> You're fine. What's wrong? >> You got to We got to get you out. >> No. >> Jessica, you got to come out. >> No. No. I want you there. >> No, she's not going to do anything to you. She's done with me. So, I got you. Good. Come on. >> Just cooperate with us. That's all. Walk this way. >> Thank you. Yes. You get inside, they going to get a phone number out the phone for you. You can call me. >> Yes. When you get home. >> Yeah. When you get in here, they going to turn your phone off. They going to get you some number out the phone. >> We will over here. Come over here. >> You're in the county jail. Okay. >> No. >> Okay. You fine. Right there. Just stand right there. Just follow the instructions. Okay. The nurse going to come out here. She going to ask you a series of questions. Okay. Just follow the instructions. You'll be perfectly fine. You follow the instructions. You'll be perfectly fine. >> No. Can I have my phone? >> You get your phone inside there. >> You know what? You get a number so that you can call. I don't want I don't want a phone call. I want to be released. Well, you love me. So long. Put the shirt on, >> Jackson. Put the shirt on. Come on. >> No, I see it. No, I see it. Under 49 USC section 44902, airlines hold broad federal authority to remove any passenger whose conduct may compromise flight safety. Southwest denied boarding, rebooked the subject 24 hours out and requested law enforcement to remove her from the secure zone, all within that authority. Under Florida versus Bostic 501US429191, a police encounter in a confined space remains consensual so long as a reasonable person would feel free to decline and walk away. Kendall's initial engagement explaining the situation, offering a hotel, contacting the subject's mother by phone fits that framework. No seizure had occurred at that point. The seizure occurred the moment Kendall initiated physical escort against the subject's expressed refusal under Terry versus Ohio 392 US1 1968. That transition requires an independent criminal predicate. Kendall issued explicit verbal notice of arrest at approximately the 2minute mark satisfying the notice element for obstruction. Where the gap exists is that no predicate was articulated on camera at the moment the encounter became non-consensual. Under Graham versus Connor 490US 386 1989, the reasonleness of force is judged from the perspective of a reasonable officer on scene, severity of the offense, whether the subject posed a threat, and whether she was actively resisting. The subject posed no physical threat but sustained active physical resistance over approximately 2 minutes. Escalation to hard empty hand control was defensible under that framework. The vehicle placement sequence carries the highest liability exposure in the footage and warrants post incident review. Under OCGA section 16 10 24 subsection A. Misdemeanor obstruction requires knowingly and willfully obstructing an officer in the lawful discharge of official duties. The subject received repeated directives with explicit advanced notice that arrest would follow. Her sustained physical refusal is legally sufficient. A disorderly conduct charge under OCGA section 16 1139 would face meaningful challenge. Georgia courts have not uniformly applied that statute to passive physical resistance. At the time of this analysis, the outcome of any criminal proceedings remains publicly unavailable. Misdemeanor obstruction under OCGA section 1610 24 subsection A is the most legally defensible charge arising from this footage. Officer Kendall receives a B. He conducted approximately 5 minutes of deescalation before initiating any physical contact engaging the subject by name involving her mother by phone and issuing multiple warnings with stated consequences. He called for backup and a same gender officer consistent with professional standards. However, backup was requested during the physical struggle, not before it. The vehicle placement sequence warrants post incident tactical review. The grade does not reach A because single officer management of a resistant female subject in a crowded public terminal represents avoidable liability exposure. The subject receives a C plus. Her intoxication and emotional distress provide context but not legal justification. She received repeated lawful directives with explicit advanced warning. Her sustained physical refusal after that warning created the obstruction exposure that did not exist when the encounter began. No constitutional right was formally invoked at any point. Southwest Airlines receives an A minus. The denial of boarding was authorized under federal statute. The airline rebooked the subject and requested trained law enforcement rather than attempting physical removal without qualified personnel. The grade is not A+ because off- camerara interactions before police arrival cannot be fully assessed from the available footage. For officers, airport removal cases require precise awareness of the transition from consensual escort to fourth amendment seizure. Under Terry versus Ohio, the moment physical control is applied against an expressed refusal, an independent criminal predicate must be on the record. Articulating that predicate on camera at the transition point, not minutes earlier, is the documentation standard that protects the arrest. For officers, single officer management of a resistance subject in a crowded terminal compounds both tactical and legal risk. Requesting backup before initiating physical control, not during, is the standard this encounter did not meet. For civilians, when denied boarding under airline authority, the legal remedy is with the airline. a complaint, a civil claim, or a consumer dispute, not physical non-compliance with the escorting officer. Under OCGA section 16, 1024, physical resistance to a lawful directive creates independent criminal exposure, regardless of whether the underlying removal was appropriate. For civilians, invoking a constitutional right means stating it clearly and then complying physically. Physical resistance is not a legal assertion of rights under any established constitutional standard. If the removal is unlawful, that argument belongs before a judge. Let us know if there is an interaction or legal topic you would like us to discuss in the comments below. We read all of them. If there is a body cam interaction or legal question you want covered, let us know. >> No. No. Oh my god.