On August 15th, 2023, airport officers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta responded to a woman behaving erratically inside the Delta Sky Club. 18 minutes of body cam footage later, she was in handcuffs. >> 906 >> What's up, ma'am? >> Hey, how's it going? There's an erratic behaving individual that came in here. >> Mhm. >> She comes up, "I'm helping somebody." >> Sure. >> She comes up, "I need some water." And I said "Ma'am, this is I am I said this is not the British Airways line, blah blah blah blah. She said, "Look at the passport." And then she starts walking off. >> Okay. >> I mean, she's she's high or something. I don't know what's going on with her. Then she she walked over. I said, "Let's get you some water." I said, "This is not the British Airways line." She didn't move. She continued to walk in back there. Then she asked him to take her outside. >> Mhm. >> And he's like >> Where she at? >> I think she's by the John, is she by the bar? >> She's by the bar. >> By the bar. >> Okay. Thanks. >> Yes, sir. We can change. >> Sure. >> Was she Was she at Delta? >> Yeah, officer. Yeah, officer. >> Where she at? So, she just disappeared? >> No. Just watch that exit. I'm going to go over here. >> Where she at? >> Hey, there's So, there's a There's a lounge. >> Is this her? >> There's a I'm just trying to direct her to the smoking lounge cuz I didn't know that was an option before. >> Is that >> Yeah, there's a smoke Yeah, there's a smoking lounge at B7. >> Is your name >> Yeah. >> Okay. Sorry, she got over here. How you doing? >> Here's my stuff, though. >> Oh, sorry. Ma'am. You all right? >> Yeah, I just need to go for a smoke. >> Okay. Well, you I I you to talk to me first. >> No, I'm I need to go first. That's why I put all my stuff right here cuz I trust humanity. >> Okay, but you're going to talk to me first, okay? >> No, no, no. >> Yes, yes, yes. >> And you're not going to arrest me. >> You're going to talk to me though. >> I can't. I'm sorry, I can't trust you. I really don't trust you. >> Right. And that's okay. You don't need to trust me, but you need to talk to me. Is everything okay? >> It will be once I get a smoke and take an anxiety pill before the flight. >> Okay, but I need to understand >> No, no, no, no. You need to back off, man. >> I need to >> You need to back off. I'VE BEEN TREATED HORRENDOUSLY. IN FACT, some of them made a complaint. So, back off, okay? >> Ma'am. >> You finish my cheese before you finish me. >> Are you on any type of medication? Ma'am. That we need to know about? >> Marijuana and anxiety pills and >> Okay. All right. Anything else that might explain this behavior? >> Absolutely not. >> No. Where are you coming from? >> I'm going to London. That's all that matters. >> You're going to London. Okay, I'd like you to get there if I can help you. >> Yeah, here you go. I was traumatized by the American police. >> How's that? Are you okay? Okay. So, just going to explain >> fine. You just let me finish my chicken soup. >> I'm going to let you do that, but >> Cuz I'm I need my physical health more than ever. >> I understand, but I'm going I need to >> Jacob, just just back off for a minute, Jacob, cuz I'm What's Jacob's favorite wife? >> I'm just going to explain to you once you're done with your chicken soup what the deal is, okay? >> Yeah, get it. So, just back off for a minute, yeah. >> Okay. >> Excuse me. Thanks. >> What's that? >> I said, "Thank you, guys." >> No, you need to talk to us real quick, okay? >> Well, let me see then. >> Right. You do your thing. So, the reason that we're here is because they explained you were behaving erratically, felt like somewhat. Um That's okay. Here's the thing. Um you're in the wrong lounge. >> No, I know that. And I was aware of that. >> Okay, you see >> when I came into Delta. >> Okay. So, can you >> I need to get to American so >> Right. Can you explain to why you made the decision to come in here? >> No. >> Ma'am. >> Absolutely not. >> You can't explain that? >> I'm on TV talking like it's just you and me. I can't do that when I'm filmed. >> It's not TV. >> Okay. >> So, >> No, that is excuse me. Really need to help. >> I'm trying to help. >> Okay. I think I have my sunglasses on. >> need to get you out of the Delta Sky Club. >> Okay, thank you. Let's do it. >> All right, let's go. >> Let's do it. >> Do you know what gate you're at? >> Cuz I think my picture's over at next city. >> Do you know what gate you're at? >> Oh, yeah, B11. >> B11? All right. We'll we'll see if we can get you over there. Do you have anything that's with you? Like carry-on? >> No, absolutely not. >> Okay. I'm trying to help you. >> I know. >> I just need you to work with me, too, you know? >> Yeah, of course. I need to be mellow. >> What? I'm just trying to make conversation. >> You actually cut that with a Relax. >> Oh, I'm relaxed. >> I'm getting seriously to the level I need to be at in order to talk. >> Well, there isn't a smoking lounge. The only one is right here. And you got to pay for it. >> I was told that B5 is the >> Uh no, I don't think that British Airways has a smoking lounge at Bravo 5. >> Well, do you think you can help me? I need to smoke before I get on the plane. >> Smoking lounge is right here, but you have to pay to get in. >> I need 10 bucks, please. >> I don't have 10 bucks. We're waiting on the cashier. >> Okay, cool. >> This lady would like to >> Excuse me. Here, can I just go in, please? >> Yeah, it costs $10. >> Okay, I don't have any money on me. >> Oh, no, you got to pay for it, ma'am. >> I can ask the airline to pay. >> Well, someone's got to pay. >> That's the rules. I'm sorry. >> Well, this is stressful. Um If I can just go to the British Airways line. >> There's no British Airways line. >> Yeah, we don't >> So, so I was in the right place at Delta then. >> No, that's not a British Airways. >> Yeah, but it's closer then. >> And >> Someone needs to help cuz I need a >> They don't have a lounge there. >> Help. Help. Help. >> I'm we're trying, but >> I will try to help, but you have to pay for another room. >> Yeah, it's just a rule. I don't know. I apologize. >> Oh, I do have my purse. It says I left it. Yeah, come come with me. >> Where'd you leave it? >> I left it behind the counter at British Airways. >> Uh you left it behind what? >> The one behind me. Yeah, I left it. >> You left it behind here? >> Thank you so much, behave. >> Of course, thank you. >> Are those your items? Are these your items? Okay. Do you have a mode of payment in there? Not yours? You can't leave your bags. You have to take your bags with you wherever you go. No. Then take your bags with you. You have to take your bags with you, ma'am. >> Right. Well, then >> Nope. I'm not holding your stuff. I'm not holding it up. You can put it all back in your bag if you need to. >> Why did you just tell me that now? After you've seen me do all that. >> I I did not know what you were trying to do. >> What's it? >> All right. You wait right here and I'll see if she's in there, okay? Okay, you can GO ON IN. >> CAN YOU HELP? WELL, THEN >> RIGHT NOW WE'RE 10-8. We're getting called back there for sure. >> Yeah, I'm going to have to go tell British Airways cuz they're like >> Yeah, they're already shaking their heads. So, I'm going to tell them that all this is going to happen so I just spoke to her and she was fine for now. She didn't give us any trouble. >> No, not really. She was a little argumentative but that's not totally yet. >> Where's the water fountain and all that? >> What seems to be the issue? >> I just need to be on this flight. >> You can't get on this flight. >> I need water immediately. >> You've been denied boarding. >> I need water immediately. >> Nope. Stop. Stop. >> Okay, help me towards the water then. >> No, you're not getting on >> No, help me towards the water then. >> We'll get you water but you're not getting on this flight. >> Please let me water fountain. >> Here's the fountain. >> All right. >> Ah, get off me, man. That's the water fountain. >> Yeah, but we're getting you water. Let's go. >> I mean, seriously, some women need to pee. >> Let's go. >> Cuz you can't be putting your hands on women like that. >> When I'm escorting you out, I can. It's right here. >> All right. >> All right, so here here's the tap. You're going to stop and listen to me. >> No, I'm not. >> Yes, you are. >> Seriously, get your hands >> That's not going to happen. Here's the thing, you've been denied boarding. >> By the captain. I listen to captain's orders. Cuz I've seen Titanic. I've seen Titanic. I am white lotus. I am Titanic. >> Okay. >> Get your hands off me. >> We're going out. We are escorting you out. You are requested to leave the premises. >> Well, guess what? >> Get out of my face. Get out of my face. All right. MA'AM. >> YOUR HANDS OFF ME WHILE I I MY WATER. >> NOPE. BACK UP. READY? >> YOU'VE GOT ME READY TO GO IN 60 seconds. >> You're under arrest. Turn around. Put your hands behind your back. >> No. >> Turn around. Put your hands BEHIND YOUR BACK. >> NOT AGAIN! >> PUT YOUR HANDS BEHIND YOUR BACK. >> GET YOUR [ __ ] HANDS OFF >> STOP RESISTING. STOP RESISTING. >> NO! NO! >> STOP RESISTING. >> OH, [screaming] HELP SOMEONE! HELP! HELP! HELP! HELP! >> [screaming] >> HELP! >> OKAY. STOP. DRIVER'S LICENSE, TOO. YEAH. >> THIS IS MY ONLY WATER. >> Just breathe. Just breathe. Whoop. All right. No. No. Down to the car. Yep. Ooh, you got the keys to your car? Yeah. No, I'm not >> No, I'm not I'm not going in. >> We're going. Come on. >> Get your Get OUT OF THE YOU'RE REALLY HURTING >> COME ON. >> GET YOUR NO! NO! >> EVERYTHING'S FINE. I'M GOING TO LEAVE THESE WITH YOU AND COME BACK AGAIN. >> I'm not going in. I'm not going in the car. No, I'm not going in. I am not going in. >> Yes, you are. >> No, you're not. No, I'M HURT SO BAD. I'M HURT so bad. >> You're fine. >> No! I'm not going in. >> No, you're not alone. No! >> No, wait. NO, I'M NOT GOING IN. >> GET IN THE CAR. >> I'M NOT GOING IN. >> YES, you are. >> No, you're hurting me so bad. >> I'll get on the other side. >> No, you're hurting me so bad. >> Turn around. Get in the car. Get in the car. >> Ow. >> Get in the car. >> Ow. >> Get in the car, right >> Ow. >> Get in the car. There you go. GET IN THE CAR. PICK YOUR LEFT LEG UP AND GET IN THE CAR. >> I was meant to arrive in London in the morning. My brother's meeting me at the airport. >> Get in the car. >> I need to sit. >> Too bad. You get in the car. >> No. >> Yes. >> No. >> Now. You can do it by yourself or we'll force you. >> Well, if you take your hands off me, so I can get in. >> Back in the car. Scoot back. >> This is really tiring. I'm really tired. I'm really going to sleep. >> All right. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Get in the car. >> Yes, we're ready to be gone in 15 seconds. >> Scoot back in the car. >> Okay, I will, but >> Okay. >> this is really hot. And I'm a very good person and I don't deserve this. >> Okay. Scoot back in the car. >> No, you were when I was in the women's toilet. You can still see through. >> You're in the lounge. Right there. You're in the smoking lounge. When we left you cuz you said all you needed was a smoke and you're going to make your flight. >> I need to make this flight. >> Well, the flight is made. You've been denied boarding. You've been arrested for disorderly conduct. So, you need to scoot back in the car so we can buckle you in. Just scoot back some so we can buckle you in, okay? >> I'm not going to jail. >> Yes, you are. We're Bravo 7 on the ramp trying to get her in the car. Scoot back. >> I'm not going to jail. >> Yes, you are. Scoot back. >> No, I'm not. >> Yes, you are. I'm not going to ask you again. I'm going to make you scoot back into the car. >> No, please. I'm a woman. Oh, there's women watching. Please. >> Scoot back into the car now. Thank you. Scoot over just a little bit. You're on the buckle. Scoot over. Scoot over. >> Okay. >> My arm. >> There we go. Okay, the seatbelt was placed on you for your safety. If you unbuckle it at any point, it will not be rebuckled. It is up to you to keep it buckled. Do you understand? >> I just need to get that off. >> Okay. >> My wrists are hurting badly. Can you >> Your wrists are fine. >> Ow, they're going to get really sore. Please. >> Well, stop fighting and they won't get sore. >> Excuse me, can you help, please? >> They're not going to help you, either. >> She Can you get these handcuffs off my wrists? >> It's not happening. What's up, man? >> What you got? >> Uh Can you do me a favor? Can you search her, female, for me? She She's a feisty one, but yeah. >> All right. Hello. Yeah, I need these handcuffs off immediately. >> Uh well, we're not going to do that, but I do need to search you. >> No, seriously, we can't. These wrists hurt really badly. >> Let me help you step out, okay? >> There you go. You okay? >> We're going to go to the front of the car. I just need to search you, okay? Let's do this. >> No, we're going back in the car. >> No. >> Yeah. >> You're not letting me go and hop back in the car. >> No, hey, we've done this once before. Come on. Yes. >> No, can you take them off? I'm really in a lot of pain. No, I'M NOT GOING THEY HURT SO BAD. >> WELL, STOP RESISTING. >> I am resisting. No, I'm not resisting. No, you have to help me. You have Ow. >> Sit on the seat. >> No, I'm not going to jail. >> Yes, you are. >> I'm absolutely not going to jail. Please help. >> Do not make me force you in this car. No, I'm going to force you in this car otherwise. >> Please just take them off because Kim Kardashian's >> Sit on the seat. >> I know, I'm not going to jail. I'm absolutely not going to jail. Help. Women, women, women, help. Ow, OW, OW. >> GET IN THE CAR. >> NO, NO, I'm not going in the car with alone. >> Sit back. >> No, please help me, women. Ow, ow, ow. You're the one that needs to take the handcuffs off. >> So, you can stand up and get in the car or we can force you in the car. >> I'm not going to jail. I'm not going to jail. NO, NO, THIS IS GETTING REALLY SORE. OH, OH, my goodness, glasses. Oh. Oh my god. >> Relax. >> I don't want to go to jail. I really don't. I can't, I CAN'T GO TO JAIL. >> Nobody ever wants to go to jail, SO >> NO, NO, NO, I'M NOT GOING IN THE CAR ALONE WITH NO, NO. I'M NOT. OW, OW, I'M IN SO MUCH PAIN. IRENE, if you just go towards the bathroom or towards the plane. I need to be on the plane, sweetheart. So, just head back, sweetheart. Thank you, baby. >> That plane is gone. Here's the deal. Okay. >> No, honestly. >> No, you're listening to me. >> I don't know, pee. >> That's fine. >> No, I'm I'm not going to pee. >> Here's the deal. >> The women have to be allowed to pee. >> Yeah, and you'll and you will be. >> No, I'm not going to jail. I'm not going to jail. >> That's what's happening right now. We're in jail. You're not going anywhere, okay? >> I'm dehydrated. Just let me out. >> Yeah, and they'll give you some like some water. We're going to go over here. >> Okay. >> And if you fight, it'll make it worse. >> Let me go. >> Let me get that shoe on. >> Thank you, sweetie. >> All right. Now, sit tight. You're going right here. I got your stuff over here, okay? >> Thank you, sweetie. Can I have an anxiety pill in there? Cuz I need to pee. >> Yeah. They'll They'll take care of you in here. They'll get those cuffs off of you. Come on. Don't do this. >> The initial stop was legally clean. Staff reported erratic behavior. And under Terry versus Ohio, the 1968 Supreme Court ruling, they gave officers reasonable articulable suspicion to make contact. What they did not yet have was probable cause to arrest. Here is the detail that cuts to the heart of this case. 8 minutes in, after walking with her to the smoking lounge, an officer radios his assessment. She's a little argumentative, but that's not disorderly yet. That is not our analysis. That is the arresting officer's own words. Georgia Code Section 16-11-39 defines disorderly conduct as acting in a violent or tumultuous manner, or engaging in conduct likely to cause a disturbance of the peace. Georgian courts have consistently held that being argumentative alone does not satisfy that threshold. The subject also declined to explain herself to officers. That is not obstruction. The Fifth Amendment protects the right to remain silent during investigative stops, not just formal custodial interrogations. Telling an officer, "I don't trust you," and walking away is constitutionally protected conduct. When officers told her, "You're going to talk to me, though," that statement, however well-intentioned, placed pressure on a right she was legally entitled to invoke. Pressure on silence is not itself unlawful, but it reflects a misunderstanding of what officers can actually demand at this stage. 30 minutes later, officers are dispatched a second time. The subject has now been denied boarding by the flight captain and she is attempting to push through to the gate. She uses profanity. She tells officers to get out of her face. Under City of Houston versus Hill decided by the Supreme Court in 1987 that language is constitutionally protected. The arrest declaration comes at roughly 9 minutes 54 seconds into footage. By that point, the legal picture had shifted. She was physically resisting escort, ignoring repeated lawful commands to leave the property, and disrupting a gate area. A colorable probable cause argument exists here, but it is not airtight precisely because the officers themselves had cleared her 30 minutes earlier. On force, the officers used officer presence, verbal commands, soft empty hand escort, and then hard empty hand control to complete the handcuffing. No strikes, no chemical agents, no taser. Under Graham versus Connor 1989, forces evaluated against the severity of the crime, the threat level, and active resistance. All three factors here argued for restraint. Officers delivered restraint. The one use of force concern that stands is the handcuff application. The subject complained of wrist pain repeatedly for several minutes. Standard protocol requires a two-finger gap between the cuff and wrist, double locking to prevent tightening, and monitoring any pain complaint. Officers dismissed her complaints. That dismissal, if the cuffs were improperly applied, carries civil liability exposure under Section 1983 of Title 42 of the United States Code. Officers receive a grade of B minus. The de-escalation work in the first encounter was genuinely good, patient, problem-solving, and proportionate. The arrest itself falls in a legally contested gray zone, not a clear call, and the failure to verify the handcuff complaint is the kind of procedural gap that turns a misdemeanor arrest into a federal lawsuit. The subject receives a C plus. She had the constitutional right to refuse to speak, to challenge officers verbally, and to express distress. She used those rights. She did not strike anyone, but sustained physical resistance during handcuffing and vehicle placement, regardless of the validity of the underlying charge legally, justified the force used to overcome it. Rights do not eliminate consequences. The department receives a B. The response was structurally sound, appropriate officer coordination, correct protocol on requesting a female officer for the search, no weapons escalation. The gap is institutional. An international airport with this passenger volume should have a documented protocol for travelers in apparent mental health or anxiety crisis, short of immediate law enforcement escalation. Three lessons from this encounter. First, an officer's real-time assessment of probable cause captured on body cam can be introduced as evidence at trial. If the officer says not disorderly yet, and then arrests for disorderly conduct 40 minutes later, that recording follows the case into court. Second, dismissing a pain complaint during restraint is never the right call, even when the subject is being difficult. Check the cuffs. Document it. That 10-second check is the difference between a clean arrest and a civil rights claim. Third lesson, de-escalation that works in round one does not guarantee the same outcome in round two. The subject's mental state had deteriorated by the second dispatch. She missed her flight. She had been denied boarding, and she was in a public breakdown. Officers needed a different gear for that contact, and the footage suggests they applied the same toolkit without adjusting for materially changed situation. The subject was charged with disorderly conduct. The ultimate disposition of that charge is unknown at the time of this analysis. Based on the statute, the case law, and the officer's own words on tape, any prosecution faces significant headwinds. Whether this case resolved in court, through plea, or through dismissal, that answer is in the public record, and worth finding. Let us know if there is an interaction or legal topic you would like us to cover in the comments below. Thank you for watching and don't forget to check out our channel for more police interaction and courtroom content.