Federal air marshals arrest man on plane en route to BWI
Don't sit too close the federal air marshals.
A 34-year-old man from South Carolina was charged Monday with assaulting a federal air marshal during what prosecutors describe as a fight on board an airplane making its descent into Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall Airport.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Beth P. Gesner ordered the suspect, William D. Barna, from James Island, to undergo five to seven days of alcohol rehabilitation then spend 28 days in an inpatient program. Once released, the said he cannot fly on a commercial airline until this case is resolved.
The incident occurred Sunday night aboard Delta Airlines Flight 1624 from Atlanta to Baltimore.
Prosecutors said that 15 minutes from landing, Barna, seated in seat 3A, yelled at a passenger sitting next to him, in 3B.
The criminal complaint says Barna struck the passenger, identified in court documents as Krystopher R. Holloway. But Federal Air Marshal Colby W. Swift, was sitting behind the suspect, in Seat 4C, and his partner, was directly in front of him, in 3C.
The complaint in U.S. District Court in Baltimore says Swift and his partner broke up the altercation and seated Barna away from the other passenger. The court documents say that Barna appeared to fall asleep, but that he suddenly “woke up, threatened Federal Air Mashal Swift with a raised, clenched fist and then attempted to strike him with a clenched left fist.”
Colby and his unidentified partner then tried to subdue Barna and prosecutors said in court documents the three rolled around the aisle and that Swift was “forced to employ a leverage technique in order to gain … control of the subject’s right arm.”
Prosecutors said the air marshals subdued him until landing and that once on the group, police with the Maryland Transportation Authority put a “split face shield and leg restraints” on the suspect. The court documents do not describe what the initial altercation was about; Holloway could not be reached for comment.
Comments
What in the world are you thinking? Why would you print an air marshal's full name and seat assignment? Is the quest for your own misguided litreary glory more important than the safety of others. You appear to be an idiot.
Posted by: Donald Watkins | November 30, 2011 7:47 PM
Mr. Watkins, thank you for your thoughtful post. The air marshals don't sit in the same seat each time, so reporting on which ones they sat on this particular flight doesn't matter. By the time the incident was over and the marshals were subduing the suspect in the aisle, I would guess every passenger aboard the plane knew who they were. My aim at providing the information is not to seek literary glory, but rather inform the public. The name of the agents are public information and were taken from a public document filed in court and available to each and every citizen.
Posted by: Peter Hermann | December 1, 2011 7:37 AM
Why did the Air Marshals RE-seat the guy without restraints in the first place. He already assaulted a passenger and then they let him sit somewhere else without handcuffs or plastic handcuffs? That was lame. Violent person acted out and then the air marshal allows him to sit next him? What if he wanted to make a move for the air marshals weapon? Dumb move by the air marshals. Should've known better, could've turned out worse. Poor procedure.
Posted by: Juris Pruit | December 1, 2011 6:07 PM