Airport Officer Fired For Allegedly Striking Drunk, Violent Passenger

An airport officer is fired after an altercation with a drunk and violent passenger. The retired Atlanta officer allegedly struck a passenger who was denied boarding because of his intoxicated state.

According to an Atlanta police news release the incident happened on a flight out of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Tuesday 2 August 2022.

Allegedly, the passenger, accompanied by the officer, was escorted off the flight due to unruly behavior and was initially compliant. Shortly after, the unruly passenger shouted insults at gate agents and, at one point, lunged at the airport officer.

Officer Ronnie Tullis told suspect Charles Evans to sit down according to authorities. Evans initially followed the officer’s orders. Afterward, when he attempted to leave, airport sources told FOX 5 Atlanta that Tullis used his baton.

Airport officer fired after striking drunk passenger

The outcome was pretty bloody. Airport officers arrived and “observed (the officer’s) extended baton” and a substantial “amount of blood” near the international terminal checkpoint, according to a police incident report. Evans was treated in the hospital immediately and arrested on public drunkenness and simple battery charges.

“The officer, a retired Atlanta Police Officer employed as a contract worker at the airport, was relieved of duty,” the department said. “Based on the findings of the investigation, the retired officer’s employment contract with the airport has been terminated and he has been removed from the APD’s Retired Reserve program.”

The Atlanta Police Department’s Office of Professional Standards launched an investigation following the incident.

The case has been turned over to the Clayton County District Attorney’s Office, which will determine possible charges against Tullis.

Related: Drunk And Unruly Passengers Cause Aeromexico Flight To Divert To Houston