An Ohio man has been charged after trying to strangle a police officer during a disturbance at an Orlando airport, according to WFTV-9.
Edward Hariston, 41, was booked into the Orange County jail Wednesday on charges of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting an officer with violence, and disorderly conduct, the outlet reports.
Ohio Man Charged With Attempted Murder Of Cop At Orlando Airport
On Tuesday, the airport’s Spirit Airlines ticket counter called the police regarding a disturbance at their desk.
There, responding officers arrived to find a large group of people “becoming aggressive with Spirit staff and threatening them.”
As the group continued to yell at each other, a Spirit ticket agent asked officers for help while claiming Hariston had assaulted him.
RELATED: Say WHAT?! Mother-Daughter Duo Fights Spirit Airlines Employees Over Luggage Fees (WATCH)
Cops approached Hariston and a woman he was with as they loudly yelled at a Spirit employee.
@beaconszn Gotta love Spirit🙃🤡 #brokenleg I’ve been stuck in Orlando airport dealing with the worst situation ever. This is basically what happened: Bullet points: – 4 ppl illegally snuck onto the plane. – plane ended up being not suitable for flight bc the ac was broken – wasn’t cancelled until 10pm – over 200 ppl I’m with are processing/ working with service desk to find next best flight – we were lied to about the status of next flights and were told no refunds – ppl got agitated and officers were called to handle situation – Now stuck catching a ride and going half on a Rental with a Family that lives in CLE and need to also get back asap. #spirit #spiritairlines #spiritairlinessucks #badservice #orlandoairport #policebrutality #blacklivesmatter #norefund #securitybreach #viralreels @Spirit Airlines @Lexi
Police Officer Choked Unconscious At Spirit Airlines Ticket Desk, Incident Report Claims
Hariston allegedly proceeded to put the officer in a chokehold and began to squeeze when the cop went to grab his arm to subdue him.
The officer said he went unconscious from the choke.
“I began to get dizzy and immediately spotty as my airflow was restricted and I was beginning to lose consciousness,” the officer said in the incident report.
The incident was posted on a video to TikTok, where officers can be seen swarming Hariston to subdue him.
Video Shows Aftermath Of Airport Chokehold Arrest; Suspect Bragged “He Could’ve Killed” Officer
According to Fox 35 Orlando, the situation in the clip is the same one Hariston was involved in.
The officer, who was not publicly named, eventually broke free from Hariston’s chokehold. But the report did not say the officer sustained any severe injuries.
He added that Hariston later commented that he “let (him) live” and that “he could’ve killed me,” according to WFTV-9.
Meanwhile, as of Thursday (Jun. 29), Hariston is being held at the Orange County jail. However, no bond has been set as of this article’s publication.
