Officer deploys taser during fight at Atlanta airport TSA checkpoint
ATLANTA GA March 30 2021— Three people were charged after police said a fight broke out at TSA security checkpoint at Atlanta’s airport, Tuesday. An Atlanta officer ended up having to deploy his taser in the process, police said.
According to the Atlanta Police Department, officers were alerted to the dispute at the checkpoint just around 7:30 a.m.
Police said their early investigation shows that three passengers – two of whom are 19 and another who is 17 – were trying to get through the checkpoint, but one of them didn’t have his ID.
Police said the TSA employee and the three got into an argument in which witnesses said the group was ” disruptive and speaking disrespectfully to the TSA employee.”
At that point, police said a bystander admonished the three for their behavior, but that triggered at least two of the group to “attack” the bystander.
An officer then got to the checkpoint and used his taser to subdue two of them. The third “surrendered without force,” according to police.
Police arrested the three and charged them with Criminal Trespass and Disorderly Conduct.
No injuries were reported, according to police, and airport operations were uninterrupted.
11Alive reached out to airport representatives for comment, but they deferred to Atlanta Police. The TSA has not yet issued a statement on the incident.
