August 29, 2024 7:18 PM
In a video shared on X, the man can be seen rummaging through his belongings before suddenly pulling out a hammer and smashing a computer screen on the counter.
A would-be passenger was caught on camera smashing an American Airlines counter with a hammer in Chile. The incident happened late Monday at Santiago's Nuevo Pudahuel airport, where a Haitian man was enraged after learning he'd been sold a fake ticket by a scammer.
Shocking moment passenger smashes American Airlines counter with hammer
According to local media Cooperativa, the irate traveller was trying to check in for an American Airlines flight to Miami, Florida, when airline staff told him he couldn't board the plane because his ticket was invalid. Video footage taken by a bystander shows the man rummaging through his luggage before suddenly pulling out a hammer and smashing a computer screen on the counter.
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A translation of a statement given by Lt. Manuel Narvaez to the media in English reads: “He became enraged, took a hammer from his suitcase and began destroying clothes and materials at the airport in retaliation for the airline allegedly extending his flight to Miami.”
“In his statement to the Carabineros, he stated that he had purchased a ticket to Miami through an internet platform, as he had already planned to return to his native Haiti, a flight that had not been booked,” Narváez added.
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The individual's actions were deemed a criminal offense, as they caused damages amounting to approximately $20,000 (20 million pesos). The individual was eventually detained by airport security and handed over to the police. Several videos of the incident were shared on X (formerly Twitter), highlighting the destructive behavior of the irate passenger.