Airline Passenger Arrested After Allegedly Putting Officer In Chokehold

In an incident at Orlando International Airport, a Spirit Airline flight got canceled, and a potential passenger is now facing serious charges. It has been reported that a 41-year-old man named Edward Hariston from Ohio got into a heated argument with fellow passengers on the airline. The situation escalated, leading to a significant disturbance involving a large group of upset individuals. Law enforcement officers were called to the scene to handle the situation.

According to a video shared on TikTok, one of the officers seemed to grab Hariston’s arm, which provoked him to fight back. This altercation caused both men to fall to the ground. It is alleged that Hariston then proceeded to put the officer in a chokehold.

“We both fell onto the ground and Hariston put one of his arms around my neck in a chokehold and began to squeeze, restricting my airway, making it unable for me to breathe,” the officer later claimed.

The situation was brought under control when three additional police officers stepped in to restrain the suspect, enabling the officer to free himself from the chokehold.

Following the incident, Hariston was swiftly apprehended and is now said to be confronting several criminal charges. These charges include attempted first-degree murder of a police officer, resisting arrest with violence, battery on an officer, and disorderly conduct.

A user on social media shared the video and expressed their dissatisfaction, stating, “Never flying with Spirit again,” indicating a negative perception of the airline. Although reports did not provide many details regarding the airline’s involvement in the incident, various TikTok users quickly assigned blame to Spirit.

One commenter expressed that Spirit should feel ashamed, while another concluded that such incidents are common with the budget carrier.

Neal Davis happened to be present at the airport during the incident, although he did not witness the altercation with the officer. He mentioned that approximately 200 passengers were affected, as he himself was stranded in Florida due to flight cancellation caused by bad weather conditions.