The Southwest has seen over a month of oppressive heat. From Las Vegas where people have gotten sick inside of airplanes waiting to take off, to Texas where the sun goes to warm up when it’s cold, it’s been a summer of records. Perhaps the most impressive is Phoenix where they hit 31 straight days of 110 degrees or more (the previous longest string was 18 days).
A ramp worker in Phoenix, reportedly working for American Airlines, came inside the terminal and completely stripped off his clothes at baggage claim. Naturally there is video which I’ll link to for the curious but will not embed here.
Once he got naked he… did pushups. This all went on for several minutes before airport police responded and arrested the man.
It always amazes me how long it takes for law enforcement to respond to incidents inside the airport, considering the number of officers across numerous agencies that are already onsite – from customs, TSA, DEA, local law enforcement and more.
You might think that the man is crazy but he wants you to know that he isn’t. While he threw of his green vest, removed his belt, and took off his shorts, he laid on the floor and he announced…
I wasn’t crazy. Time is a virtue guys.
The employee resisted arrest. So an officer and another employee tackled the man, before another officer came over to assist getting him into handcuffs. Then they radioed for backup.
And this seems about right after this summer of travel, working in Phoenix:
Comment
by u/anothergoddamnacco from discussion American Airlines employee strips naked in Phoenix airport
in PublicFreakout
Pictures or it didn’t happen
@PeekABoo – I literally linked to video
I don’t understand why they have to hurt the guy and take him down like that. I mean, isn’t this exactly what tasers are made for? Like for real. lol. Tased. Down. Done. Next customer please.
Interesting. Are you sure he isn’t a Spirit airlines employee?
I expect this type of behavior at Spirit Airlines gates across Florida.
Honestly, I’ve had summer days working ramp that I can sympathize.
If this guy was working out in the 110-degree heat for extended periods, it quite possible he was suffering from heat stroke, was delirious and unaware of his actions. This should have been approached as a medical emergency until proven otherwise, not a law enforcement issue.
Most incidents like this require medical intervention, not the police.
Poor guy. I really don’t think it’s appropriate for you to share stuff like this. How would you feel if you were him?
Hey, my wife and I fly through Phoenix next month, maybe we can catch. Show before our next flight.
Concurring with Sobe ER Doc: this behavior could be explained by a heat stroke.
He wasn’t harming anyone… so why the use of force?
Thing1 sounds like you and the wife might be swingers. HMU
Most definitely suffering from delirium or mental illness, no sane “grower” would walk around naked in public I guess the cops also figured there was little to injure so they took him down. Just another thing these poor cops have to worry about, wiener size…
I agree very possible he had a heat stroke.
There are different ways to cool off. Stripping down naked in public is not one of them. Unless of course you happen to be at a nudist resort. I can see passing out if you’re having a heat stroke. But I can’t see ripping your clothes off. My grandmother called the police one time and an hour later they showed up. They asked if she needed the police. She said we don’t now. We could have used you an hour ago. When seconds count the police are only minutes away.
I’ve worked on the ramp on those blistering hot days. The temps out there can be 20 to 30 degrees hotter than the reported temperatures. It’s brutal, and heat exhaustion and heat stroke are a serious threat. I suspect he may have been addled by heat illness and wasn’t rational.
That said, I still preferred it to working the gate, back in my agent days.
Frontier Airlines wants his resume