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.
I had a bad experience with a TSA “screener” or whatever they call themselves. I had to take off my shoes and put them in a little bin and give it to the screener. That was the last time I saw them for a while.
Evidently what happened was the screener was way behind and so they hid the odd purse or pair of shoes under their counter if the boss might be near. I didn’t know that then as I waited patiently for my shoes to reappear. And waited. I kept asking for my shoes and was ignored or rudely told to get back and I’d get them when I got them. Finally as the final boarding call came, I demanded my shoes and the fit really hit the shan. I wasn’t going on that flight barefooted and each succeeding TSA supervisor was ruder and more threatening than the last. Finally a lowly screener coming on shift reached under the counter and pulled out bin after bin of stuff. Including my shoes.
They were just cheap shoes, but I wasn’t getting off that plane (at my destination) barefoot like a hippy.
unreal
-Eric
So sadly, it doesn't surprise me on bit that the police are more than willing to beat the hell out of a soldier for carrying a soda in an airport.
“To professionalize, we must Federalize!”
CA....
“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,”
Then you have learned a valuable lesson, sargeant. My sympathy for you has evaporated and blown away.
This guy recently returned from Iraq. I little TLC might be in order, since I doubt very seriously that he is adjusted to civilian life or life in the US in such short order. Guys need a little time to make adjustments. During WWII, they came home on troop ships, they had the time. Everyone flies home now - no cool down time.
Quite frankly, I’m sure this guy was carrying a bit of an attitude, but probably didn’t call for a beating.
Ill drive to wherever I go.
You didn't miss anything. I was responding to bboop who wrote:
"Well, what do you know? Black racism is alive and well, even in Las Vegas, even in the TSA. Will wonders never cease. I wonder if this isn’t part of the equation with this soldier’s complaint? I wouldn’t be surprised. After all, here in Los Angeles (Long Beach), we give black folks the right to beat up white girls and yell racist slogans at them. It is a sort of White Folks’ Penance. Maybe the soldier didn’t know that is part of the America he is fighting for."
Like you I didn't see any reference to race and I was merely questioning bboop as to the relevance of speculating which part of America the soldier was fighting for.
That’s what I said about Rodney King.
1) he is unarmed as he has cleared security.
2) he is pissed and being rude to the TSA
3) He is then pulled away from the TSA post by the cop to a area he knows is outside the cameras and hit with a night stick and tasered.
How did it go from a heated discussion with an unarmed man to a beating by an armed cop?
Very unprofessional if not criminal.
So you believe that the police can beat and jail someone and never charge them with a crime? Two months later, England has never been charged with anything.
Or he could have followed the directions and finished his soda before he got in line.
He got his ass kicked for being a dummy.
Sorry Bro. Being in the military does not buy you special dispensation.
Next time, lose the soda and or obey the Police when they tell you to do something.
Sgt. Mark England was wrong — end of story.
Sad. I hope he can prove he was right and sue the pants off these guys. But, we need to hear both sides of that story.
What law did he break that he deserved broken ribs and a tasing? He’s never been charged.
Not to pick on you specifically, as several others have said similar things here, but what are you saying? That if you’re disrespectful to TSA agents and cops that you deserve a good beating? That you have no reason to complain if you bring it down on yourself by being a jerk? Last I checked there is no law against being a jerk, and there is no law that specifies a penalty of a severe beating administered on the spot.
Did you watch the news clip that included his comments in post 16? He gave them the bottle and the woman TSA agent said “Hey SGT I’m a LT in the army. I out rank you†He then asked to see her military ID. She got mad and told him to move on. He said this is F__Kup and went to his gate. He missed his plane and then came back to complain. This is when the cops took him out of sight of the main cameras and beat him.
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