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A man was taken into police custody on Thursday morning at Orlando International Airport (MCO) after showing up too late for a flight and then acting “erratic.”
Jeffrey Epstein, 59, of Lakeland, Florida, showed up at 6am for a 6:24am departure, according to an American Airlines spokesperson, too late to be checked in. When he “started yelling at our team members,” the spokesperson said, AA employees called authorities. Epstein engaged in a verbal exchange, Fox 35 Orlando reports. The verbal exchange then turned physical as officers tussled with Epstein on the ground, attempting to place him under arrest.
“After leaving the line, Epstein continued to yell profanities and other remarks about American Airlines’ business practices,” read an arrest affidavit. “Epstein took off his backpack, put his hands in the air, and said to arrest him.”
One officer reportedly observed a “white froth” around Epstein’s lips. When asked about the substance, Epstein appeared to become more agitated. According to the report, Epstein was causing a scene — passengers in the terminal stopped to record the incident.
Because of a complaint of chest pain, Epstein was seen by medical staff at the airport and then transported to a local hospital.
According to officers, Epstein told them that he’d “created a very big disturbance, and I did it on purpose.”
After being released from the hospital, Epstein was taken to the Orange County Jail in Florida and charged with battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest with violence, trespassing, disorderly conduct and possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana, since a bag of weed was found on him.
This story was updated to indicate that this was not a case of denied boarding, since the passenger had not checked in.
Featured image by AP Photo/John Raoux.
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