An off-duty Sarasota police officer was arrested Friday night at St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport for battering an Allegiant flight attendant and his own son.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, after boarding a plane, the officer was told by employees that he was too drunk to fly, and would have to disembark. He refused, and the altercation allegedly escalated to the point where he shoved a flight attendant and grappled with his 18-year-old son, who was also trying to get him off the plane. Once off the plane, he refused to leave the airport, and was eventually arrested for battery, domestic battery and trespassing, despite claiming he couldn't be arrested because he was a cop.
To that end, the Sarasota Police Department issued a statement to the effect that the officer has been put on administrative leave, and that an investigation is pending.
This article appears in Nov 8-15, 2018.