An incident involving an allegedly drunk and unruly traveler at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport escalated Wednesday night when authorities said the man ran through an emergency exit and into a secured area of the airport.
Nathan Dean Smith, 22, of Arizona, was stopped by airport employees and held for police, Hartsfield-Jackson officials said.
"We have a multi-layered security approach at the airport, and there was no security breach," airport officials said in an emailed statement. "Mr. Smith was fully screened by the TSA before entering the sterile side of the airport. He was detained and arrested when he entered a secured area of the airport."
The incident happened at 9:25 p.m. Wednesday at Gate C37, according to an airport police incident report. The gate agent told officers that she saw a man cursing and talking loudly. An off-duty officer tried to calm him down, but the man allegedly ran to a nearby Sky Club Room, an area reserved for Delta customers.
Smith allegedly dashed through the Sky Club and through an emergency exit, putting him in an area off-limits to unauthorized persons. Airport workers stopped and held the man for police.
"We detained the suspect with handcuffs without any incident," the report stated. "I requested for [Atlanta] Fire and Rescue to check the suspect out, and once they arrived, he refused [to let] them check him out. The suspect was charged and taken to city jail."
Smith was charged with several offenses, including disorderly conduct and being intoxicated, and remained in custody Thursday night on $400 bond, Channel 2 Action News reported.
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