A wild brawl between passengers that broke out at Miami international airport prompted a cop to brandish his gun at the brawlers. A 48-second video of the feud posted on Twitter showed the screaming passengers at the sight of the gun in a packed terminal. The scuffle unfolded at gate H8.
Miami-Dade police told NBC Miami that an airport worker reported a disturbance due to a delayed charter flight at gate H8. When officers responded to the scene, they found a 'rowdy' passenger, who had seized the keys of the airport transport cart, and was not letting a worker leave the area. The footage of the melee showed one officer with his arms around the man's neck, trying to restrain him while several people tussled around.
People in large numbers gathered around to watch the scrimmage and some even pulled out their phones started recording it. According to the Miami Herald, the unruly passengers had been stranded at the airport for hours while waiting for an Air Century flight to the Dominican Republic to depart. The flight has now been rescheduled to Friday, December 24.
'Oh s**t, oh s**t!'
The video further showed the man breaking free of the officer who held him by the neck and attacking him. The cop then took a step back and pulled his gun at the man, as the spectators watched in horror. "Oh s**t, oh s**t," one man was heard saying in the footage. The video ends with travelers surrounding the cop as he attempts to restore order.
'He did what he's trained to do'
According to Miami-Dade Police, two people were taken into custody in connection with the brawl. The identities of the men arrested were not clear at the moment. WSVN reported that it was also not clear what charges were brought against them. The circumstances that led to the cop brandishing his gun in a packed terminal full of passengers are also being investigated. The president of the South Florida Police Benevolent Association, however, is in the agreement with the way the officer responded to the crisis.
Union boss Steadman Stahl told the Miami Herald that the cop in question drew his weapon when the man broke off and was getting out of hand. "He [the cop] stops the crowd and he re-holsters. He did nothing wrong and exactly what he is trained to do," Stahl said. WPLG reported that no injuries were reported during the brawl.
