Federal agents arrested an Australian man who allegedly attacked a TSA agent at Los Angeles International Airport last Sunday.
The Department of Justice said 35-year-old Thomas Jesse Bingham approached the on-duty, uniformed TSA agent while the federal officer was in the restroom. Bingham accused the agent of taking his backpack and passport before his flight to Las Vegas, according to the DOJ. He followed the agent out of the bathroom before attacking him.
Prosecutors said Bingham grabbed the agent’s uniform and snatched his ID badge off his neck before pulling the victim’s hair and pushing him into a glass wall.
The agent wrestled Bingham to the ground and held him there before backup arrived.
The Department of Justice released this photo, allegedly showing Thomas Bingham assaulting the TSA agent at LAX.
DOJ
The Los Angeles Airport Police arrested Bingham shortly after. Officers found Bingham’s carry-on bag and passport at a restaurant in Terminal 7, which he had visited earlier in the day.
LAX police released Bingham later but arrested him again at the airport before he could board a flight to the United Kingdom on Monday.
Bingham was charged with assault on a federal officer. His initial appearance was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon in downtown LA.
If convicted as charged, Bingham could face up to eight years in federal prison.