Drunk JetBlue Passenger Gets Pepper-Sprayed After Altercation With Airline Staff

An airline passenger was arrested after an altercation with a JetBlue staff and later with police at the Orlando International Airport on Sunday. The Utah man, who was drunk at the time of the incident, was charged with disorderly intoxication, resisting officers and assaulting police.

The man, who was traveling with his 8-year-old son, was identified as Brandon Strong. He allegedly verbally harassed a female passenger and was told he would not be able to fly that day. He then fought with the JetBlue employee, while other passengers tried to contain him.

The Orlando Police Department arrived at the scene after receiving multiple calls about an intoxicated individual at the airport’s Gate 3, according to an arrest affidavit obtained from the Orlando PD’s public information officer.

“I explained to him that he could not travel and asked for his son,” the employee wrote in a sworn statement, according to ABC affiliate WFTV 9. “At that point, he pressed his iPad against my chest and pushed me. I pushed his hands away from my chest, and he attempted to grab me. We wrestled, and myself and a couple other customers tried to restrain him.”

Video of the incident shows the man was yelling that he “didn’t f------ punch him,” presumably referring to the JetBlue employee. He then appears to take a swing at an airport employee.

An officer with the Orlando department, who responded to the incident, reportedly said Strong smelled of alcohol and refused to comply by putting down his bags. He was warned multiple times before pepper spray being used on him.

According to the arrest affidavit, Strong ripped the officer’s radio from his vest and removed magazine rounds from the officer’s holster while they were wrestling on the floor.

While on the ground, Strong yelled, “where is the NAACP?” referring to the rights organization National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, according to the affidavit.

The incident resulted in the delay of the flight, which was bound from Orlando to Salt Lake City, a spokeswoman for the airport told CBS-affiliated television station WKMG.

Following the arrest, Strong was transported to the Orange County Jail. During this time as well, he continued to lash out, telling police he would “come after [the officer] with everything he’s got,” adding he was a “concealed weapons permit holder and firearms owner.” When asked what he meant by the statement, Strong responded that “he knows a lot of people in the [White House].”

According to reports, Strong was also charged with child neglect as the incident had taken place in front of his young son. Police said the airline staff took care of the boy until an aunt was located and his mother was notified of arrangements to return him to Utah.