I was trying to be nice to you. On September 21st, 2023, Nashville International Airport Police responded to a service call at a terminal restaurant. The suspect had struck an elderly woman in the face, causing a laceration spat on multiple individuals, and vandalized airport businesses. I was just walking around and you hear this loud bang and I guess a younger woman hit this elderly woman in the face with a phone. With a phone? Yeah, an elderly woman's cut she's bleeding on the side of her face. Then the woman went and spit in somebody else's face and then a bunch of us were trying to contain her. So the went back down in the terminal station. The individual hit two people? Hit one person, spit in another woman's face. Hit one, spit in the other. Okay. And then they threw her Okay. If Okay. So there's the elderly woman there. Hey, hey, what's going on? Hey. She has like all She got assaulted. And both of them were She spit on her and then knocked her with a cell phone. Hey, can I Okay, gave what? 19 18 19 Of course she was like in the way, but you can turn this up. She's screaming and yelling at her right here. She did take the face of her cell phone and that's what hit her. That's what hit her, but it's you were in the way. Look at that. Um so right here is when she walks up to her and hits her. That's where she hits her and then she comes Control. No, she like hit she punched her with her with her hand. No. Yeah, if you slow it down glasses Charlotte, okay. And then she looked like she was trying to find somewhere to hide because we were all like congregating. She could have gone past us and gone down there, but Okay. Is that video something you're able to possibly send to us? >> Of course. This is her. And then this is where She's got glasses on. And then you can see where she spits on this lady right here in the face. And you can't tell right here This is She was kind of in the way, but this is where she hits her. Right here. He's in her And then right here, that's where she hit her. Yeah. And then she's bleeding on that corner. Okay. So >> Yeah, this is exactly where she hit her. Can you How long's the video? Yeah. Can you get Can you pull the video up? Yeah. And let me see if I can grab it. That's the beginning. Um here. Yeah. I thought she was coming towards me when she saw my phone. Okay. That's it. Yeah, and she's she's definitely down that way. So the um >> [clears throat] >> the couple screenshots, can you grab a couple of them? >> Is Does someone have the ability to let our flight know that we're like late now? >> We'll We'll get you there. Okay. We're not We're not going to hold you here. In fact, do you got a card? Yeah, she's still down there. So somebody's got a flight. She is on some She would have spit at anybody who Okay, so yeah. So that's Andrew Brennan, B R E N N a n at Got you. financial.com >> Got it. Thank you so much. Thank you. You want to go look? Yep. We're going to go look. What direction? Where? Okay. Did you just have somebody come through and knock all this off? Well, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. We have a picture. Was it a woman? I'm I'm nosy. I'm black. I'm trying to see. Was it a woman? Yes. >> [laughter] >> I want you to see a picture of what she looks like. This girl. Thank you. Control 18, she just knocked a bunch of stuff off at Air Essentials too. I'm still trying to make contact. The warrantless arrest made here is constitutionally sound. Under the Fourth Amendment and United States versus Watson in 1976, a public arrest requires only probable cause, not a warrant, not exigent circumstances. Multiple eyewitnesses and a cell phone video of the assault satisfied that threshold before officers ever approached the subject. A critical procedural question arises. Both victims declined to press charges. Does that strip officers of arrest authority? It does not. Under Atwater versus City of Lago Vista in 2001, officers may execute a custodial arrest for any criminal offense supported by probable cause independent of victim cooperation. Victim consent is not a legal prerequisite for an officer-initiated arrest. Let me go ahead and take you for disorderly. All right, I'll take you for disorderly. All right, ma'am. My name is Officer Link with the Airport Police. Need you to go ahead and stand up. Stand up, please. Ma'am. Stand up. Put your hands behind your back. Stand up. Do not resist. Roll over. Resist. Okay. Don't make this any worse than you've already made it. Okay. Come here. Do not resist. Put your hands behind your back. Do it now. Put your hands behind your back. Do it now. Hands behind your back. Now. Do it now. Give me your hands. Officer wait here. Was it four and then two? Put your hands behind your back. Do not resist. Or was it one and two? Do not resist. Okay? Do not resist. Okay. Thank you. Very good. Stop. Stop resisting. >> You're making this more difficult on yourself. Roll over on your stomach. Do it now. Put your hand behind your back. Do it now. Okay? Do not resist. Do not resist. You're being placed under arrest by this officer for disorderly conduct. Do you understand? And stand up. All right. Are you going to bring my car over here? Uh we may need that. Yeah. Stand up. We're going to set you in this chair, okay? All right. Come on. Okay. Okay. All You need to get out of the chair. That's fine. She wants to do that. That's That's her thing, okay? It's an additional charge. Resisting an officer. Now you want to sit up in the chair. Let's get you sitting in the chair. Come on. Stand up. Okay. Okay. All right. You said you'd give me the chair. Let me in the [ __ ] chair, [ __ ] Yeah. I understand that. I understand that, okay? Now you can relax. Who Who's not relaxing? That's what I did. Okay. There's no need for pulling away. There's no need for language. >> away? Okay. You are. I'm not playing games here. I can sit the [ __ ] up if I want to. You can sit right here just like that. >> Let go. >> No. Settle. Okay. Y'all want me to sit like this? If that's what you want to do. Calm down. I can sit like this. What are y'all waiting for? A vehicle since you don't want to walk. I can sit the [ __ ] up. Where's your wallet at, man? Okay. Where's your wallet at? I don't have a wallet. Okay. >> Where's your ID at? I don't have ID. Okay. >> in the airport. I magically appeared here. I don't know. >> Yes. Thank you. I magically appeared in the airport. Okay. Let's go. I appeared in the airport. Okay. You stand up and walk. Get a chair. Get a chair. You don't need to do that. We're going to put you in a chair then. Come on. You know you don't want to walk. You're going in the chair. No. You don't want to walk. You're going in the chair. I want a ride. You going to walk now? No, I want to ride. Y'all going to show for me. Okay. I want to ride. Criminal charge. Hurry up. Where we going? Quit. Who is this? No. >> Once the subject refused to comply, the use of force analysis is governed by Graham versus Connor in 1989. Three factors apply: the severity of the underlying offense, whether the subject poses an immediate threat, and whether the subject is actively resisting. All three were present: serious assault on an elderly victim, demonstrated prior violence, and sustained physical non-compliance from the first command. Each act of physical resistance constitutes an independent offense under Tennessee Code section 39-16-603, resisting arrest. The statute prohibits intentionally preventing or obstructing a law enforcement officer from affecting a lawful arrest. Refusing commands, going limp, and pulling away each independently satisfy the elements of the statute, resulting in separate chargeable counts. When the subject spat on officers during the arrest, the conduct elevated beyond resisting. Under Tennessee Code section 39-16-602, assault on a first responder includes any offensive physical contact, spitting qualifies. Each documented instance constitutes a separate chargeable count, independent of the resisting arrest charge. The pre-booking search at the patrol vehicle is lawful under Chimel versus California in 1969. A full search of the arrested person's body is permitted as a search incident to lawful arrest, requiring no warrant. The decision to request a female officer for this search reflects procedural best practice that reduces civil liability exposure, though it is not a strict legal requirement. Inside the patrol vehicle, the subject slipped her handcuffs. This is not a passive act. It is an active attempt to defeat lawful custody, and constitutes an independent violation of Tennessee Code section 39-16-603. Application of hobble restraints following this event is an objectively appropriate escalation under the use of force continuum proportional to the demonstrated risk. Ma'am, stop, please. Stop it. Y'all see this stuff? anything worse than the mayo the mayo Come on, push mayo. Stop resisting. That's right. That's right. That's right. Stop resisting. She's good. She She's not going to have it. Okay, push me out. That would be very unwise. Additional charge, resisting stop and frisk. Need the way. Spitting. Second count, disorderly. Ma'am, going this way. I we take the elevator. Why can't we go through the elevator? We need to take the elevator. All right. We need to take the elevator. I can carry it. You can carry it. She's spitting. Oh, okay. That's right. Make your asses work. You make us do your less work, actually. Congratulations. You need to push her, Brennan? Yes. So, I'm being arrested for disorderly conduct. Resisting Resisting stop and frisk. So, what does disorderly conduct mean? What is disorderly conduct mean? Well, you seem to know everything, so look it up. I don't know anything. It's funny. Try to have a conversation with you. And you're polite and you're silly. Okay. You're entitled to your opinion. Thank you. All right, what we're going to have you do is lean over the hood of this car. She's going to search you before you go in the patrol car. Do you have any questions? Do not resist. Stand up. Do not resist. Let me search you on the ground. Do not resist. I'm searching your person. Okay, well, don't resist. Don't damage your glasses. I'm going to roll you over, get you up. Okay, do not resist. Do not resist. All right. Okay, we're going to help you sit up. We're going to put you in the car. Yeah, we're going to put them right on you as soon as he gets in the car. Do not drag your feet. Walk to the car. Turn around. What? We're going to get you What? Nope, we're not. We're getting in your car. Okay, good. Thank you. Sit on the floor. Do not resist. Do not resist. Come on, baby. straight. Sit up straight. Now, I got to get in my hair. Ooh, my bad. You got to go Up. No. There you go. Sit up straight. Watch yourself. Thanks, Adam. Good job, buddy. Appreciate you. I'll ride with you. Okay. Appreciate you. Wait. Did you get her handcuffs? Hey. You good, sir? Is everything okay? Yep. Oh, y'all must really like this. We We were not able to drive around the car with the hobbles in the front door. She What's her handcuffs? Up. Officers receive a B+. Force was proportional and progressively escalated. No less lethal weapons were deployed despite sustained resistance. The gender-sensitive search decision and accommodation of the subject's personal concerns during arrest reflect professional conduct under pressure. One deduction. The failure to apply leg restraints proactively, given the visible resistance pattern from the outset, created an avoidable custody security gap. The subject receives a D. The underlying conduct provided the legal foundation for every charge that followed. Physical resistance at the scene did not improve that legal position. It worsened it. Under Tennessee law, the appropriate remedy for a disputed arrest is legal challenge through counsel, not physical non-compliance at the scene. Each act of resistance added an independent charge to the original count. I was trying to be nice to you. Stop resisting. No one's resisting. No one's resisting. You guys just like to Do you have the door cracked yet? I'm just going to drag her through like I did before. Okay, so if I take you out of this hobble so you can walk, are you going to walk for me? Yeah, I'm not going I need your buckle here. Huh? I was just saying let me unbuckle you. Can you try to get out? Keep your trouble. You know I don't have my picture taken. You have to. I'm not just saying. Can you give your uh work phone? Yeah. Appreciate you. Why y'all so mad? What's up? I said why y'all so mad at I'm not. He's acting that way. I don't know why he's mad. I'm not. Three lessons from this encounter. First, victim cooperation is not required for a lawful arrest when probable cause exists from witness accounts and video evidence. Second, every act of physical resistance during a lawful arrest is an independent criminal offense, not a protected right. Third, proactive restraint decisions based on observed resistance patterns prevent avoidable escalations that compound risk for all parties. Let us know if there is an interaction or legal topic you would like us to discuss in the comments below. Thank you for watching.