This browser does not support the Video element.
New video in Atlanta airport security breach
The video, obtained by FOX 5 through a public records request, shows what police say is 40-year-old Fabian Leon moving through the airport before attempting to enter the TSA checkpoint on the morning of Oct. 30. FOX 5's Tyler Fingert has the story.
ATLANTA - Newly released surveillance video shows how quickly a man accused of breaching the main TSA checkpoint at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport was stopped, just feet from getting through the entire security checkpoint.
The video, obtained by FOX 5 through a public records request, shows what police say is 40-year-old Fabian Leon moving through the airport before attempting to enter the TSA checkpoint on the morning of Oct. 30, around 8:30 a.m.
Police say Leon tried to go through one lane and was stopped, then shifted toward another lane where bystander Mark Thomas was standing.
Thomas says a TSA officer yelled "breach," prompting him to turn around and react without hesitation.
"I saw him knock over the first dude and then a TSA agent tried to grab him, and once he was going to get past me, I was just like, okay, I'll just take over if I can," Thomas said.
The video shows Thomas picking Leon up and throwing him to the ground before police arrived.
The TSA said three of its officers were assaulted during the incident. The agency is reminding travelers that threats, verbal abuse and physical violence will not be tolerated and can result in arrest and fines.
Leon faces two charges, including simple battery and avoiding security measures.
What they're saying:
Watching the footage months later, Thomas said the moment unfolded just as fast as he remembered.
"It's crazy to think about how it happened in my head versus seeing it, very similar to how I remember it," Thomas replied.
Police say Leon told officers he had been drinking alcohol and taking drugs before the incident. In the video and afterward, Thomas described Leon as calm but disconnected.
"He was very soft-spoken, he just kept saying, 'Oh, I'm okay, I'm okay, let me up, let me up, I'm okay'," Thomas said. "It's like a kind of clear that he was sort of detached from the entire situation."
Thomas said he’s glad he was there and would step in again if needed, but believes the situation should not have escalated to that point.
"I think more police presence should have probably been there, it shouldn't have taken me to take him down," Thomas said. "I don't know how many checkpoints or people he got passed before that."
The Source: FOX 5 obtained the video through a public records request.