"All I wanted is something to eat! They drew First Blood!"
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.
Ummm... Sarge, lemme tell you a little secret: You can harrass the E3s and E4s all you want, but DO NOT harrass the police!
Read again. He didn't.
They could have had Him eat the Hot-dog and drink the soda and then pass...end of problem...but no like Nazis they get hostile and throw their weight around.
screw Airport Goons....
Thank you for your service, Sgt. England. Now quit acting like an a*****e.
Well .. the video will clear this up and what really happened
He decided that he wanted to push the issue and it went somewhere that he didn’t expect it to.
Sometimes it’s good to know when to STFU and move on.
“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.”
Rubbish. As a defendant in a legal proceeding, he has the RIGHT to have a copy of the tape as evidence. Neither the TSA nor any other group has anything to say about it.
If I were a cop, that would scream resisting arrest and trying to escape. When you are at that point you have two options - surrender or fight for your life and accept the consequences afterward. Taking the middle ground of being a pain in the ass to the cops will just cause more problems.
The officer then pulled out a baton and yelled at him to get on the floor, England said.
[what happened in this gap between the paragraphs?]
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.
Did he get on the ground when ordered, or did he resist arrest.
In my opinion, this is a story with a lot of $*#holes all around, including the sergeant.
What part of America are the Black soldiers fighting and dying for?
1. The soldier felt he was being mistreated, and granted, the rules are juvenile and bothersome, but he reacted unwisely and stupidly.
2. TSA and airport cops are complete thugs. They'll gladly hand you your ass if you give them the slightest excuse.
Being an Iraqi vet myself, I thought I was pretty good at dealing with guards. Still, I had a close encounter with airport security that almost got me hauled out of my car and arrested because I couldn't hear what he was saying and didn't understand his directions. I asked him to repeat himself because of the nearby traffic. He thought I was giving him lip, and moved in with the focused crazyeye that only a overstressed cop feeling threatened can give. I had to back down fast as he signalled for help and was clearly ready to get physical, and even then he hit my rental car with his fist as I drove off.
I was utterly dumbfounded. Guys manning checkpoints in Iraq handle people with more dignity and professionalism than anything you'd find in an American airport. It's a disgrace. That said, the soldier in the article above needs to understand that, and act accordingly.
And cleaning terrorists out of there isn't in our best interests?????
This is exactly right - That we given so much authority to AS is nuts. That we don't profile in airports is crazy. There is a large % of AS (and associated LE) that simply get off on the power they have now....
Those on here immediately suggesting taze a guy 3 times over not putting down his soda is F'ing crazy. That some dope police officer can toss your things to the ground and not pick them up is ludicrous.
"All I wanted is something to eat! They drew First Blood!"
You got it - And that we as a society not only tolerate it (but have segment that rush to their defense at a drop of a hat is utterly crazy). Some on here think always rushing to the defense of "authority" make you "good" or "conservative"....Simply foolishness.
Couple of guys hold him down and shove the hot dog in his mouth while another one poured the drink over his face? From HIS side of the story, it sounds like he demanded to take it through.
Thanks for the video link. Two months later and he England still hasn’t been charged with ANYTHING. Guess it’s ok to beat someone that hasn’t committed any crime.
LEOs are getting worse and worse, and as they carve away at their own support they wonder every day about why no one loves them any more. The thugs who are too sorry for the police departments are snatched up by the TCA, because they know they can't ever never get fired, no matter what they do to "civilians.".
That sounds like the opposite of Rudy’s quote about authority.
Do you mean to say you are rebelling?
=)
However, back in the day I remember being muscled against a wall at LAX by a number of (then) security people...
Based on one security guy who took offense at "all those buttons and ribbons" and demanded that I remove any part of my uniform (I still have trouble calling a jacket a 'blouse') with offending metal bits.
Could well be that after several years of ratcheting security schemes today's TSA is experiencing the same sort of animosity toward the troops they see day after day.
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