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Woman arrested at Atlanta airport after spraying passengers and staff in the face with fire extinguisher

Three flight attendants ended up in hospital after a woman sprayed fire extinguisher in Delta gates area of Atlanta International Airport

Maroosha Muzaffar
Thursday 19 January 2023 07:35 GMT
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Screengrab. Police arrested a woman at Atlanta International Airport after she sprayed passengers and the staff with a fire extinguisher
Screengrab. Police arrested a woman at Atlanta International Airport after she sprayed passengers and the staff with a fire extinguisher (@notcapnamerica / Twitter)

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A woman who sprayed passengers and staff at the Atlanta airport with a fire extinguisher has been arrested, according to reports.

On Tuesday, police said Jennifer Holder assaulted officers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and sprayed people with a fire extinguisher.

Local reports said that around 9.30pm, airport security arrived at the scene when it was reported that a woman was trying to break open the closed, secured doors inside the concourse.

The officers were notified that Ms Holder was at gate D-9 discharging a fire extinguisher.

In the video of the incident shared on social media, the woman could be seen refusing to talk to the officers when they approached her.

The video of the incident showed her walking toward a gangway door to the shouts of airport workers and other passengers before emerging in a cloud of spray and aiming the fire extinguisher hose at gate workers.

She refused to engage with officers and instead sprayed them with the fire extinguisher.

In the video, other passengers at the airport can be seen amused by the woman’s behaviour. Some could be heard laughing in the background.

Later, she was taken into custody by the police. Ms Holder was booked into the Clayton County Jail and will face one count of obstructing or hindering law enforcement officers, two counts of simple assault, and three accounts of simple battery.

Three flight attendants, who complained of respiratory problems due to exposure to the fire extinguisher, were also taken to a hospital for medical attention.

According to police, after Ms Holdert was taken into custody, she continued to behave erratically and combatively, spitting and kicking at officers, WSB-TV reported.

During the airport incident, Ms Holder also suffered a few minor injuries.

Meanwhile, on social media, the videos of the incident circulated by passengers present at the airport at the time garnered enough attention.

However, Atlanta Police did not disclose how the incident began in the first place.

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