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Two Men Arrested After Fight in Miami Airport

Miami International Airport in Miami
Two arrested after fight with officers at Miami Airport | Image by lavendertime

Two men were arrested at Miami International Airport on December 20 after a confrontation with the police.

The men were identified as thirty-year-old Mayfrer Gregorio Serranopaca of Kissimmee, Florida, and thirty-two-year-old Alberto YanezSuarez of Odessa, Texas.

Miami-Dade Police Department said both are charged with the battery of a law enforcement officer. Serranopaca also faces charges for resisting an officer with violence and inciting a riot.

Neither party could be reached and it is unclear if they have lawyers.

The quarrel, which was caught on video by a cellphone camera, occurred around 6:30 p.m. at Gate H8, prompting an airport employee to call officers about a disruption.

According to the police report, the employee was driving a cart when an “unruly passenger refused to let him through.” The person was identified as Serranopaca, who “entered the cart, broke the key, and refused to exit the cart.” The employee states that the man was making a fuss regarding a delayed flight.

When police attempted to calm him, things escalated into a conflict, which attracted a crowd. As the officer tried to arrest Serranopaca, YanezSuarez was seen “grabbing and pulling officers” off him.

Firemen were also called to the scene after Serranopaca bit the head of one of the officers.

The incident is under ongoing investigation.

In a statement about the altercation, Director and CEO of Miami International Airport Ralph Cutié commented, “Like airports across the country, MIA is seeing record-high passenger numbers this winter travel season. Unfortunately, that passenger growth has come with a record-high increase nationwide in bad behavior as well.”

The Miami airport expects to see an average of 156,000 travelers per day and 2.6 million people by January 6th.

As holiday traffic increases, COVID-19 cases continue to rise amid the Omicron variant’s emergence, causing some to reconsider their travel plans.

Cutié warns travelers that being disruptive can lead to arrest, civil penalties up to $37,000, federal prosecution, and being banned from flying.

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