Posted on 05/16/2007 7:52:39 AM PDT by E Rocc
Iraq war veteran tells of beating at airport
Soldier accuses Las Vegas police
By DAVID KIHARA REVIEW-JOURNAL National Guard Sgt. Mark England came out of a tour of duty in Iraq with just a hand injury from an insurgent attack near Baghdad in 2004.
His trip to Las Vegas last month, however, ended with a police beating at McCarran International Airport that left him with three broken ribs, he said.
"I could understand if I was in Germany or a foreign country, but we're supposed to be on the same side," England said. "If it could happen to me, it could happen to anyone."
The 37-year-old Orange County, Calif., resident said the officer beat him with a nightstick after England got into an argument with a Transportation Security Administration agent who refused to let England take a soda through the security checkpoint last month. England said he also was shocked three times with a Taser before being taken to jail.
England, who is 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 205 pounds, said he was not aggressive and was polite to all of the authorities he dealt with that night. He and his wife say surveillance footage from the night in question will prove him innocent, but England can't get copies of it.
"It will show I was never a threat to the officer," he said.
Officials said police will get the surveillance tapes within the next few days.
Elaine Sanchez, public affairs and marketing manager for McCarran, said release of the tape must be approved by the Clark County Department of Aviation and the Transportation Security Administration, because the airport owns the equipment and the federal agency has jurisdiction over the tapes. She said a copy of the tape was not given to England because of the ongoing investigation.
Police Internal Affairs investigators are looking into England's allegations but can't discuss it because it is an ongoing investigation, said Bill Cassell, spokesman for the Las Vegas police.
England is facing charges of resisting arrest and violating airport rules. He and his lawyer have been unable to get anyone to tell them exactly what airport rule he violated. England's arraignment is slated for April 10; but his lawyer, Cal Potter, expects that to be postponed because the district attorney hadn't received the case as of Thursday.
England had been sightseeing and gambling in Las Vegas during NASCAR weekend and was scheduled to fly out of McCarran on March 10. He arrived at the airport a little before 6 p.m. Before he went through the Concourse C security checkpoint, he bought a hot dog and a $3.25 soft drink in a cup.
England said he tried to go through the security checkpoint, but a TSA agent told him he couldn't proceed with the food and soda. England told the TSA official he believed that he could bring a soda through the security checkpoint as long as he could show a receipt proving it was purchased at the airport.
According to McCarran officials, you can't take a soda through the security checkpoint even if you have a receipt. You can, however, purchase a drink after passing through the checkpoint.
The TSA official refused to let England pass. England asked to see a supervisor. The supervisor also didn't allow England to pass through the checkpoint. The supervisor also asked to see England's identification and then made copies of his military ID and boarding pass.
"I know it sounds weird, but I have a problem being in the military and having some civilian tell me I'm wrong when I actually thought I was right," England said. "If I'm wrong, I'll admit I'm wrong. But it was their attitude they were giving me" that bothered him.
What really angered England, he said, was the TSA supervisor told him he was a lieutenant in the Army but refused to show any proof of this claim. England pressed him to show a military ID, but the TSA supervisor wouldn't budge.
"I said, 'Sir, with all due respect, that's (expletive) up,' " England said.
A Las Vegas police officer told England to go to his plane's boarding gate, which England did. But he missed his flight.
With several hours to kill before he could catch another flight, England decided to find the TSA supervisor. He met the TSA supervisor and the police officer by the security checkpoint and asked to see the TSA supervisor's boss.
At that point, the Las Vegas police officer asked England to walk with him, England said. They walked about 50 feet from the security checkpoint, and the officer asked to see England's boarding pass.
England fumbled through his pockets and pulled out a dollar bill that he said the officer pulled from his hand and threw on the floor.
England said he asked the officer, "Would you mind picking up that dollar bill from the floor?"
The officer pulled out his handcuffs and told England to turn around and put his hands behind his back. England said the officer placed a hand on his shoulder and that England instinctively rolled his shoulder out from under the officer's hand. The officer then pulled out a baton and yelled at him to get on the floor, England said.
He said the officer hit him multiple times with the baton, breaking three ribs on his left side and injuring his hand and head. Another officer then shocked him with a Taser at least three times, England said.
"I've never seen this much pain in all my life," he said.
When England was released from the Clark County jail the next day, he was bruised and looked horrible, said his friend Ken Dorton who bailed him out.
"My first reaction was, 'Oh my god. What did they do to you?' " said Dorton. He said England had dried blood on his hand and face and a swollen eye.
England admits that he had two beers over several hours before he went to McCarran but said he wasn't intoxicated. He also said he was never disrespectful toward the officer.
"I was raised to honor the police and I've always done that," he said.
You're right. Secure cockpit doors, armed pilots, armed and inconspicuous air marshals, and some common sense would go a lot further in securing air travel than the current mess.
If his side of the story is true, which is debatable, I don't completely understand why he was arrested. Especially if they can't cite the airport rule/law he violated. (I don’t think STFU is an airport law) Let's just see if the surveillance tape turns up.
Tape in a news broadcast in post 16.
Go get in a soldiers face and say that.
I think Sgt. England will agree.
I’m sure you would.
The point that you missed was that you were applying the concept of "rank," as it relates to a power and respect relationship, incorrectly. The TSA officer, the police officer---whoever it is---is a civilian doing a job. He or she has no "rank" over his or her fellow civilians at all. We follow their orders not because they outrank us, but because if we don't, we face the consequences prescribed by law.
The de facto militarization of law enforcement agencies of all types, which is made even more concrete by using the language that you used, is absolutely sickening. I watched the video, and I have no problem with going out on a limb and saying that English was beaten because he "dare" question a member of a law enforcement agency---thereby calling that person's "authority" into question. It was a pissing match, pure and simple.
And so you did.
Hey, I don’t know any more than you. I just know what this press release from his lawyer says and the sweeps-month package from the TV station says.
Obviously I do know more as the Police Chief in our family told me they would need probable cause and you disagree. I respect police when they behave professionally. They put themselves on the line. But this guy on the tape chose to act in a brutal, unprofessional manner when confronted with someone that was upset and questioning the rules. We'll just have to respectfully disagree.
If, in the initial confrontation, something like this had taken place, I'd be waiting to see the film & I'd be remembering how I've been treated by airport security then and now. My emotions would be with the guy carrying a drink the airport had sold him only to tell him he couldn't carry it with him. (Although such a rule would not surprise me because all the TSA guy sees is a container of liquid that he can't confirm and that was not served up inside the supposedly secure area)
But, the first rule of dealing with authority is 'don't argue with someone with a gun AND a badge', the second rule is 'don't go back for seconds'.
They need probable cause but probable cause can be suspicious activity. As far as beating, we don’t know what preceded it and, if you notice, he was still standing. Why was he still standing when he admitted that he was told to get on the ground?
Dont tell me, you're a dumbass too?
Nobody said anything about anyone's rights.
However, I'm sure you're correct. He asked a coupled of generic questions and got harassed by the people whose responsibility it is to make sure explosive devices do not get on an airplane [cuz they aint got nothing better to do] and then if that were not bad enough, black helicopters swooped in and three cops rappelled onto the concourse roof, blew a hole through the ceiling and proceeded to beat down a hard working, God fearing, humble US soldier who was simply enjoying his Coca~Cola.
Go away nitwit.
"He gave them the bottle and the woman TSA agent said “Hey SGT I’m a LT in the army. I out rank youâ€"
How did she know he was a sergeant? Because he told them, thinking that it gave him a free pass to break the rules that the rest of us have to obey.
"He then asked to see her military ID."
She does not have to show him jack. She says move along...you move along. He is not functioning as a sentry, checking someone elses ID card. He was being a smart ass.
"She got mad and told him to move on."
....and? So what.
"He said this is F__Kup"
What is? Not being allowed to break the rules? Tough &%it!
"...and went to his gate. He missed his plane..."
Because instead of obeying the rules, he thought he was special. Had he done what he was told to from jump, my wager is that he never would've missed his flight. Regardless, he is supposed to be their two hours early, so it is on him.
"...and then came back to complain."
He went to the ticket counter to complain or back to the screeners? Screeners cannot help him with a missed flight.
"This is when the cops took him out of sight of the main cameras and beat him."
As if you have any idea as to what happened off camera save what this twit tells everyone.
Regardless, oh well. Next time he'll follow the rules like the millions of other people who got on planes that day.
I have no remorse for him.
You mean he didn't lunge at the police? He stood there with his arms crossed when the cop starts hitting him? And yes we do know what preceeded it. Nothing. England might have been rude but he made NO threatening moves that deserved that response. You can keep making excuses but you can't change what the video shows. And the cop needed probable cause for ordering him to the ground. More cause than being asked questions that he didn't like.
Why was he still standing when he admitted that he was told to get on the ground?
How about shock. I would have been stunned if treated that way for asking questions. In post 139 I said : When I asked at the Tallahassee airport, I got a polite answer. I was told that some airports don't enforce no lighters but they chose too. The TSA worker even allowed me to give the lighter to my sister. She was a nice lady.
We aren't going to change one anothers opinion. I hope the rest of your evening is a good one.
Um........no.
From the article : The supervisor also asked to see England's identification and then made copies of his military ID and boarding pass.
And
the TSA supervisor told him he was a lieutenant in the Army but refused to show any proof of this claim. England pressed him to show a military ID, but the TSA supervisor wouldn't budge.
The TSA brought it up and not the soldier.
I saw the video and all I saw was a figure standing behind a piece of equipment. I could not see folded arms. You are very good at decoding video.
I know that he was told not to stand and he was standing. Resisting arrest. Case closed. He is not permitted to decide whether the order was a proper one. If it was not, he can pursue it in court. Once the order was made and he was disobeying it, he was a danger to himself and others.
I wonder if they took his BAL. I’d love to know.
But I want to warn you, lots of cop-haters go onto threads like this and facts come out that make them look...well, stupid. They don’t care, of course, they go on with their prejudices on other threads.
I do not give a damn. He was in the wrong...completely.
Had he simply obeyed the rules that everyone else has to follow...and discarded his can of soda, none...NONE....NONE...of this would’ve happened.
It is on him. Period.
You're still missing the point that the severity of the punishment far outweighed the transgression. As I said before, it is troubling that so many here on FR believe that if a person doesn't lick boot then he deserves whatever punishment the cop gives them.
From the story, I gather that England misunderstood the rules regarding drinks and tried to talk to supervisors. He didn't cower, but I didn't read about any laws that he violated either.
Well now I know that you didn't watch the TSA video in post 16 because he did give them his soda.
You may approve of arbitrary orders and police states but that’s not what this country was founded on. Disapproving of unprofessional and bullying behaviour doesn’t make me a cop hater either. Mark would be surprised to hear that I hate cops. You on the other hand appear to forgive them any outrageous behaviour. Asking questions is not illegal.
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