On June 23rd, 2026, officers were called
to Tampa International Airport after a
flight attendant reported that a
passenger had put a hand on his chest.
But the passenger had a different story.
He claimed the flight attendant had
ignored his medical needs and insisted
officers were questioning the wrong
person.
>> Verbally assaulted one of the flight
attendants and then he physically
>> Okay. Very
first.
>> Yeah, they w him up.
Okay. Where's the flight attendant? That
was
>> okay.
>> Do we need to go on and tell him to
plane or somebody tell him to plane or
>> um I think that
>> have him come off first.
>> So they're getting the flight attendant
that was involved to come up here right
now to get back to the story. You come
here.
>> I don't need to leave you guys.
>> Okay. So tell me everything that
happened like what happened. What what
type of physical contact was it?
>> The sense were bided by the FAA to tell
them you cannot go to the bathroom right
now. You have to go back to to your
seat. He said I'm diabetic to apple.
I'm not landing the airplane. I'm going
to go and wait. I was like go just comes
out of the bathroom keeps calling me an
apple.
the other
on the airplane
not acceptable.
>> Please walk off
the way
up there.
>> No. Okay. So, what what type of physical
contact made I'm sorry touch my chest?
Is it like did he push you or just put
his hand on you? Like
>> doesn't matter. It's actually a member
on board of deer.
>> All right. I just It makes a difference
if he actually pushed you or if you know
it kind of works. So he just put his
hand on you.
>> Okay.
>> There's a bunch of people that
>> All right. Do you have a driver's
license on you?
>> Um
>> Yeah. That guy needs to be out of here
because
>> we're not we're not here to point
fingers or anything. We're just here to
>> cuz I'm going to let me do my job.
You're going to let me You're going to
let me do my job though. You have your
right. You have an ID on you.
>> Yeah.
What did you
>> Just be careful cuz you're going to make
sure you pick that up cuz I don't want
you to fall. You might trip.
>> If you want, you can sit down, too.
>> No, I'm fine. I've been sitting for 3
hours.
>> Just a driver's license.
>> I'd love to hear what you guys were told
because this is the guy that's going to
be in trouble for what he did.
>> Other than what happened, did he
interfere with the whole crew at all?
when I was trying to do my exit
briefing, he was non-compliant. He
didn't want to stow his bag.
>> He It was giving me a hard time. So,
that's when we noticed that he was a
problem.
>> Okay.
>> Um he's one of the last aboard.
>> Um
>> Well, I wasn't here. So, is that you
consider that interfered with your
>> He eventually complied.
>> He eventually complied,
>> but he was there was like resistance and
attitude and tone, you know, aggravated
for you know I know you guys for that
day they can't
>> once a certain security level and once
you put a hand on somebody
>> No absolutely
>> this thing gets locked down and nobody
gets nobody nobody out
>> here I'm going to give you some more
room to
>> set you want to step over you
>> mind I'm sorry
that's why
>> it was kind of rushed then because I
this and now I'm trying to tell you
everybody
>> either way verbally it's verbally Glad
to have you guys here too or at least
when I felt so once it starts
>> touching somebody it's
>> Yeah, we got our we have our liaison
coming out.
>> Oh, you're welcome.
>> So
>> So I'm going to explaining what he that
guy did was wrong because if I was
having a heart attack and he told me to
go back to my seat, what would that have
been right? Would you have given your
your employees permission to do that to
a passenger? If somebody was having a
heart attack, would you tell them to go
sit down and wait till the plane lands?
No.
>> Okay. So, how is that different than me
having a a diabetic attack?
>> Were we landing and
>> No, we weren't landing. We not yet. We
were still circling. We after I sat
down, we circled for 10 more minutes. We
weren't even close. This guy was being a
total jerk. I was having a serious
problem and he didn't seem to care.
>> I don't put up with that.
>> Good.
>> I've been doing this for 10 years.
>> Can I have fire rescue come check take
vitals and stuff?
>> No.
>> Okay.
>> Contact. No one wants to complain.
>> There's no reason he should be here, not
me.
>> Never. Well, they're getting the other
side of the story right now. needs to
come out here and talk to me directly in
my face.
>> We're having another officer speak with
him. Okay.
>> Yeah. He needs to be a man, not the
little
>> That's not how it works.
>> What do you mean that's not how it
works? If he's accusing me, I have the
right to face my accuser.
>> Yeah,
>> I do. Don't tell me I don't
>> in court.
>> I can do it here, too.
>> No, that's not how it works.
>> What? What law would I be breaking?
>> Right now, you're impeding our
investigation if you do that.
>> Just wanted to press charges, right?
>> You want to press charges? Are you
wanting to press charges? Okay. You're
upset. I can I can I can see you're
upset listening to him.
>> It's not It's not just I'm more than
upset because what he did this is the
guy that should be out here talking to
you.
>> Listen, we're trying to get to We're all
We have a bunch of different angles of
this we're trying to get to. Okay.
>> Yeah. I'd love to hear what he said.
>> There's there's definitely witnesses
that saw what he
>> Okay. And they're speaking to him.
There's like three officers down there
getting statements. Okay.
>> Good.
>> I'm not s I'm not saying that you did
anything wrong. I'm not saying that they
did anything wrong. 14.
>> You got to understand what I've been
trained to do by my doctor, which is if
my blood blood sugar is low, I need to
get insulin period. It's already been
going up.
>> Yeah.
>> I just want to ask you a couple
questions. So, I I came up a little bit
late into this, so I'm just trying to
get caught up. So, you were on board.
>> Yeah.
>> Your sugar spiked.
>> Yeah.
>> So, then did you stand up to get your
bag to get your insulin? Is that what
happened?
>> No, no, I hadn't. It was in my pocket. I
just went back to the rush.
>> We were on final descent, I think, is
what the
>> We weren't on the December. He's We were
just He had just announced it like 30
seconds and I said, "I got to go. I
can't sit there because it's going to
take 15 minutes, almost 20 minutes to
get off the back of the plane. I would
have been dead before I got up here."
>> Do you guys not understand?
>> No, I do. I do understand. So,
>> well, your guy doesn't.
>> Well, speak.
>> So, you you got out of your seat then?
Yeah.
>> Went to the restroom
>> to administer the insulin
>> and then we hold on to him. So, where
did where did you and him interact?
>> We didn't. I told him, he said, "We're
we're we're getting ready to land." I
said, "Fine, but I got to go to the
bathroom."
>> But you're saying he did something, so
he denied you to get up or go back.
>> He He didn't want He wasn't going to let
me go in the bathroom.
>> Yeah.
>> He's like, "We're landing. You can't." I
said, "I'm diabetic. I need to take
insulin." He says, "I don't care."
>> Well, obviously you don't.
>> That's what I'm looking for.
>> That that I don't accept. I'm sorry.
When a passenger hears, "I don't care."
That tells me he's That's not the right
guy for the job. I'm sorry.
I I've flown way too many. I have half a
million points with Delta. There's no
way I put up with that crap. I mean,
this is ridiculous. Look at my Look at
my thing. I've half 600,000 miles. That
was over a million miles at one point.
>> Oh, we appreciate that. Yeah, for sure.
>> So, I'm not just some fly by night guy.
some Do I look like a scumbag to you?
Who just
>> Nobody's saying that. But we're just
trying to get to the bottom of what
actually
>> I I've already given.
>> I get it. You have to understand though.
There's more than just
>> But he's going to sit there all night
telling you.
>> But he's not just We're not just going
by what he said. There's passengers on
the plane. We're talking to
>> Yeah, they'll straighten it out. They
were right there.
>> We got to let them do their job. All
we're going to do is hang out for a few
minutes.
>> Yeah. What is your sugar? I guess that
that'd be the bigger concern. How you
doing now?
It's steady. It's not going up or down.
If if it goes,
>> say the word. I can get them here. It
won't cost you anything. They'll take a
look at you.
>> Let me keep in mind doesn't change at
all. Put a little more.
>> Do um Do you want a snack or anything?
Does that help? I mean, I can get It's
high. My blood sugar ending.
>> Gotcha. Okay. All right. Just checking.
I should take this insulin.
>> Well, we'll get to the bottom of this.
And like I said, no one's
>> assuming or or jumping any
I'm telling you, I'm the one that's
pissed here. He may not be, but I am.
I'm the one that's going to pursue this.
>> And if he's making a mistake thinking
that I'm not, he's wrong.
>> Sir,
what are you doing?
>> What are you doing?
>> We're detaining you right now.
>> What are you doing?
>> We're just detaining you, bud.
>> Why?
What have I done?
>> Allegedly, you put your hands on the
flight.
>> I just touched him.
>> That's against the wall.
>> Yeah, you can't. You cannot touch
the time.
>> You just
and he stopped and
>> you don't know that putting your hands
on somebody else's.
>> We'll check them downstairs. We'll just
start walking.
>> If somebody tells me to stop, I will. If
I'm with the walk, they did it numerous
times.
>> I see.
Are you seriously doing this?
>> You got to be kidding me.
>> Another number.
>> What?
>> We're going to walk this way.
>> Are you saying touching a guy's shoulder
is illegal?
>> You can't touch anybody without their
consent.
>> Well, how can I ask his consent when
he's keeping walking?
>> I stopped. As soon as he kept walking,
I'd stopped. I didn't. Forunately,
>> it's cons the state statue. It's
battery. Any physical unwanted touch?
>> Just a touch?
>> Yes.
>> Unfortunately, that's that's what it is.
>> Do you really think that that's going to
stand up in court?
>> It does, but you get your day in court.
I'm not saying I wasn't there.
>> Guys, come on. How did that salt the
guy?
>> You can shut it. Shut it.
Just walk forward a little bit.
No,
>> I'm the one that's being unfairly
treated here. This guy should be going
to jail, not me.
>> The stop me from
>> It's all going to get typed up. It's
going to go before the state attorney.
The state attorney attorney will make
their decision. Right.
>> What happens to me now? Right now we are
taking you downstairs. You're going to
get booked into the county jail.
>> What?
>> Did everything pretty much go down as
they were saying that it did? Like what
did you see?
>> Like
we were all seated for landing and he
came back and flight attendant said
landing. Like
>> so
he's like you need to take your seat.
>> And he's like I got to pee. I got to go
back. I got to go to the bathroom. You
want me to call the cat?
>> Oh, no. Okay. And he goes in the
bathroom.
>> Then he changed his story when he came
out. I'm a diabetic. He's going to
[ __ ] He's dropping off.
>> Uhhuh.
>> Okay. Did you actually see him
physically touch the the flight?
>> Yeah, I remember when he Well,
>> it wasn't that. It was when he went back
to his
>> flight attendant back at him.
>> Okay. All right. Perfect. Thank you very
much.
>> Where were you sitting at when it
happened?
>> I was in the jump seat right next to
them.
>> Okay.
>> So, and you saw that? Did you see the
actual physical contact?
>> I didn't see the physical contact, but I
did hear the threat of him. And then
when he came out of the bathroom, I'm
like, "Sir, you need to go take your
seat. Like, if we're in our seats, you
need to be in your seat." And he's like,
he could have killed me. And I'm like,
"You need to take your seat."
>> Okay.
And by the way, my car is here at the
airport. What am I going to do?
>> Leave it here.
>> You're going to have to come back. How
am I going to do that?
>> You're not going to be in there long,
buddy.
>> Be in Where? Am I leaving the airport?
>> Yeah, we're going to the
>> Well, but how am I going to get back to
get my car?
>> One second. We got to figure something.
>> So, when you're walking through the uh
the airport aisle and you bump
somebody's shoulder, they could sue you.
>> But you put your hand on him.
Apparently, you people watched you. I
didn't put my hand I touched his
shoulder as he was walking by. I didn't
grab anything.
>> Did you pat him like that?
>> No, I touched him cuz I wanted to get
his attention just cuz I want to talk to
him.
>> Face the Let's walk over towards the
truck over this side.
>> I really wish you would have talked to
the others before you're doing this to
me because you would find out in a
heartbeat that I'm not the one that
>> So there's a thing when we have
witnesses, independent witnesses.
>> Yeah. Where are they?
>> They even They were telling people that
you touched somebody.
>> I did. I didn't. But But touching
somebody is not illegal. If you touch
somebody and you're just walking past
them, where do you
>> even if you try to get their attention?
If they don't want you to touch them,
they can press charge.
>> How would I know they don't want me?
>> How would I?
>> Just keep your hands to yourself. That's
a good start.
>> This is not
ow. is digging into my wrist.
>> Control of breathing. Why? I can't now.
>> Um, you want to help get him in?
>> Yeah. Someone I I mean, I need that.
>> I don't know if you can help him with
that.
>> All right.
>> One, two,
which wrist was it? Both of them. Both
of them.
As of right now, there's no couch. Sir,
it's just not going to be very pleasant.
>> Oh, yeah.
>> All right.
>> It's just not going to be pleasant. I
cannot help that.
>> He was charged with battery. Share your
thoughts in the comments below and don't
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