LOS ANGELES, CA- A 35-year-old Australian man finds himself in hot water after he got into a physical altercation with a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on March 15, The New York Post reports.
Last week, Thomas Jesse Bingham of Melbourne pleaded not guilty to a charge of assault on a federal officer resulting in bodily injury.
On the date in question, Bingham was preparing to travel from LAX to Las Vegas. According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), Bingham believed a TSA officer had taken his backpack and passport.
Bingham approached a uniformed TSA officer while he was in a restroom and then followed him out, where he engaged in a confrontation with the officer that turned physical.
Prosecutors said that Bingham grabbed the officer’s uniform, ripped off his ID tag, pulled his hair, and shoved him into a glass wall. The agent was later able to gain control of the situation. He later reported pain in his hand and back and sought medical attention, authorities said.
Bingham was arrested by airport police. Officials later located his missing property at a restaurant in Terminal 7 at LAX, where he had visited earlier.
He was initially released from custody; however, he was rearrested again at LAX when he was attempting to board a flight to the UK.
A tentative trial date is set for May 12.
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