DALLAS — Police used a Taser on an American Airlines passenger who was accused of touching a woman on a Chicago-bound flight without her permission before the plane took off.
Miami-Dade police were called to the plane while it was still at the gate in Miami, after a manager reported that Jacob Garcia, 28, had touched another passenger, according to an arrest report.
Police told NBC News that Garcia had touched the female passenger inappropriately.
When the manager attempted to move Garcia to another seat, he began screaming insults at the passenger and her boyfriend, police said.
The Fort Worth-based airline said in a statement Sunday night that “the instigating passenger was asked by our Miami team members to deplane and he refused,” so the flight crew began to get all passengers off the plane.
A flight attendant notified police that Garcia had been involved in a fight that had broken out while passengers were leaving the plane, so officers were called on board.
Police asked Garcia to leave the plane voluntarily, but he “refused to comply and began to cause a disturbance,” the arrest report states.
Video of Garcia’s arrest shows officers struggling to detain him while he asks repeatedly, “What is the reason you’re removing me from this plane?”
A voice from behind the camera replies, “Well, you just assaulted a lady, for one.”
Garcia then tries to move away from officers before one deploys the stun gun on him.
Miami-Dade officers handcuffed Garcia after using the Taser, but he “wedged his legs and body in his seat in a way” that prevented them from removing him from the plane, the arrest report says. Police attempted to carry him out of the aircraft before he eventually stood and walked off the plane.
Once Garcia had been escorted off the plane, he collapsed to the ground in an attempt to slow down the officers’ efforts, police said. When one officer tried to lift Garcia up, he reached for the officer’s handgun repeatedly.
After police had placed Garcia in a patrol car, he kicked one of the rear windows out of alignment, causing about $150 in damage, police said.
Jail records showed Garcia was in custody Monday morning at a Miami-Dade County facility, facing charges of battery, depriving an officer of a weapon, disorderly conduct, resisting an officer and criminal mischief. His bail was set at $9,000.
The flight, scheduled to leave at 9:30 p.m., left at 10:34 p.m. with all passengers except Garcia, American Airlines said.
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PHOTO (for help with images, contact 312-222-4194): Jacob Garcia
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