Caught On Video: Huntington Beach Couple Arrested In Miami Airport After Altercation With Airline Staff
HUNTINGTON BEACH (CBSLA) -- A Huntington Beach couple was arrested in Miami on Sunday after getting into an altercation with staff at the airport.
In viral cell phone footage, 23-year-old Brittney Mohammadi can be seen diving on the American Airlines check-in counter at the Miami International Airport.
Witnesses said she and her boyfriend, 26-year-old Manuel Arteaga, started yelling at airline agents when they wouldn't allow Mohammadi to board the plane from Miami to LAX Sunday night because she didn't have shoes on. Authorities also said the couple was intoxicated.
"The way American Airlines handled the whole situation was super unprofessional and after we asked for the supervisor's identification, he could have simply gave it to us, but he told turned it around," she said. "That was our only issue."
"He was being scary," Arteaga said.
Video footage shows the couple walk outside and begin yelling at officers. Police didn't respond.
But, police said that when Arteaga grabbed Mohammadi around the neck, they jumped in and tried to restrain and separate the two, who fought officers back.
"I had to make sure she was alright before the cops would try to do something," Arteaga said.
Mohammadi said she didn't know shoes were required on the plane, because she rarely flies.
American Airlines told reporters that violence of any kind is not tolerated, and they thanked police for their quick response.
The couple now faces charged including disorderly conduct and intoxication, resisting arrest, and battery of a police officer.
"It's a lesson learned. I'm obviously going to be better from it," Mohammadi said. "There's so many people that have done so much worse things on alcohol."