A federal grand jury has indicted a Newnan man on charges that he assaulted a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Jemel Broussard Harris, 38, was indicted Monday, U.S. Attorney John Horn said.
According to Horn and the charges, Harris returned to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic on Nov. 15 when he allegedly became verbally abusive as he passed through the Customs inspection area at the airport.
Harris was told he could go home, but he continued to be abusive and threw a can of deodorant at an officer, Horn said. When an officer asked him to collect his belongings and leave, Harris struck the officer.
In the struggle that followed, Harris allegedly pulled the officer across an inspection platform before he was subdued and arrested, Horn said. The officer suffered a cut on his head and other injuries.
“These kinds of disruptions create safety issues for both the officers and other travelers,” Horn said.
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