The skirmish, captured on video, occurred as the airport was bracing for a busy holiday traffic, despite the highly-transmitted variant of Omicron causing a surge in Covid-19 cases.
MIAMI — Authorities said two men were arrested after clashes with police at Miami International Airport on Monday, in anticipation of a record number of passengers for the holiday season.
The two men — Mayfrer Gregorio Serranopaca, 30, of Kissimmee, Florida, and Alberto YanezSuarez, 32, of Odessa, Texas, according to the Miami-Dade Police Department, which is investigating the case — — were charged with assaulting a law enforcement officer.episode.Mr. Serrano Paka faces other charges, including resisting police with violence and inciting a riot.
Mr Serranopaca and Mr Yanez Suarez could not be reached on Tuesday.It is unclear whether the men have lawyers.
Police received a call from airport employees about a disturbance at Gate H8 at around 6.30pm on Monday, and the clash was captured on cellphone video that was widely circulated on social media.
The employee told police he was driving a transporter when an “unruly passenger refused to let him through,” according to an arrest report.The man, later identified as Mr Serrano Paca, “entered the shopping cart, broke the keys and refused to leave the cart,” the report said.Airport staff told police the passenger complained in Spanish about the flight delay.
When police tried to appease Mr Serrano Paka, there was a physical altercation that drew a large crowd.
The video showed a chaotic group of travelers surrounding an officer who appeared to restrain Mr Serrano Pacar with his arms.The two scuffled together as officers released him from his cell.
At one point, the officer and Mr. Serrano Paka separated, and Mr. Serrano Paka rushed at the officer, his arm waving.
Video shows the officer breaking free, backing away and pulling his gun.When police tried to arrest Mr Serrano Paca, police said Mr Yanez Suarez was “grabbing and pulling away the police”.
Firefighters were also called to the scene after Mr Serrano Paca bit an officer on the head, police said.Both Mr. Serranopaca and Mr. Yanez Suarez were arrested.
The spat comes as airports across the country experience heavy holiday traffic.A surge in Covid-19 cases, fueled by a highly transmissible variant of Omicron, has caused some to reconsider their holiday plans, but millions of travelers are fighting their way.
According to AAA, more than 109 million Americans are expected to travel between Dec. 23 and Jan. 2, a 34 percent increase from last year.The number of airline passengers alone is expected to increase by 184% from last year.
“Like airports across the country, Miami International Airport is seeing record numbers of passengers during the winter tourist season this year,” Ralph Cutié, director and chief executive officer of Miami International Airport, said in a statement.
Miami Airport said it expects about 2.6 million passengers — an average of about 156,000 per day — to pass through its gates between Tuesday and Jan. 6, up 6 percent from the same period in 2019.
“Unfortunately, the increase in passengers has been accompanied by a record increase in bad behavior across the country,” Mr Cutié said, noting the row at the airport on Monday.
Disruptive passengers could face arrest, civil fines of up to $37,000, a ban from flying and possible federal prosecution, Mr. Cutié said.
He urged people to travel responsibly, “arrive at the airport early, be patient, obey federal mask laws and airport staff, limit alcohol consumption, and call 911 immediately to notify police if there are signs of bad behavior.”
Post time: Jan-17-2022
