A TSA worker at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport has been suspended and charged with aggravated assault after allegedly slashing another airport worker with a box cutter during a fight over a sports bet.
Both TSA agent Paul Johnson and the other worker, Terry Vickers, were arrested after the Saturday morning fight at the airport's international terminal, according to Channel 2 Action News.
Vickers, who was charged with simple battery, told Channel 2 that the fracas began when he approached Johnson to collect on a “friendly wager” over a basketball game.
“He’s getting loud, I’m getting a little loud, and the next thing I know, he is reaching for his pocket for a knife,” Vickers told the station.
According to an Atlanta police report, it was a box cutter that Johnson pulled from his pocket. A TSA spokesperson told Channel 2 that Johnson, who screens checked baggage, was authorized to have the box cutter.
Vickers sustained minor injuries to his face, according to the police report. In the report, Johnson claimed that Vickers was the first to make physical contact. Police said Vickers went to an area he was not authorized to be in to collect the debt.
Both Johnson and Walker surrendered their security badges, according to Channel 2. Johnson is on indefinite unpaid suspension, pending a full investigation, the station reported.
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