New Broward Sheriff's deputy body camera footage shows an intense Thanksgiving Day encounter at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport that ended with 73-year-old man bloodied and behind bars along with his son and daughter-in-law.
The incident happened the afternoon of Nov. 28 as 73-year-old Richard Messina was picking up his son and pregnant daughter-in-law at the airport.
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WATCH HEREAccording to an arrest report, Messina had been parked outside a terminal but was told to move along, then given a citation on the windshield of his SUV.
The body camera footage doesn't show the beginning of the encounter but shows Messina getting into the SUV as another deputy hands him the citation.
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That's when the video shows Messina grab the ticket and throw it to the floor of his SUV, and start to drive away.
"Messina aggressively grabbed it from me while striking my right hand," the deputy wrote in the report. "I then gave Messina a lawful roder for him to provide his identification as he was now not free to leave. Messina advised he would not provide it and began to drive away, with my hand still in the vehicle, dragging me for a short distance."
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The video shows Messina and his daughter-in-law, 32-year-old Sara Messina, get out of the SUV as his son, 42-year-old Anthony Messina, approaches.
"I am pregnant, you need to stop," Sara Messina says in the video."You're assaulting a citizen, you're assaulting a citizen."
"You hit me," Richard Messina tells the deputy.
"You hit him, what is your problem?" Anthony Messina says.
"Back up," the deputy tells them. "Back out of my face of I'll take you all to jail."
"I'm not giving you anything, I didn't do anything wrong," Richard Messina says, as the scuffle ensues.
"I'm pregant, get off of me," Sara Messina yells at one point in the video.
"What is wrong with you, he's an old man," Anthony Messina says. "Are you sick?"
After a few moments, Richard Messina collapses to the ground with blood on his face.
"This man punched my father in the face," Sara Messina yells. "I need an ambulance!"
Other deputies arrive and the son and daughter-in-law are taken into custody.
After several moments, Richard Messina speaks while still apparently dazed.
"Why'd you do that? I wasn't gonna hurt nobody," he says.
Richard Messina was arrested and charged with battery on a law enforcement officer. Anthony and Sara Messina, of Westbury, New York, were also arrested for the same charge.
In a statement, Broward Sheriff's Office officials said the case was forwarded to the Use of Force Review Board for review.
An attorney for the Messina family said the incident could have been avoided.
"This entire situation could have been avoided with clear communication, simple human decency and an understanding of the individuals involved," attorney Yale Sanford said in a statement. "Instead of spending Thanksgiving as a family, Mr. Messina, his son and his six month pregnant wife spent Thanksgiving in jail. Our community deserves the opportunity to communicate with law enforcement without impending fear of retaliation."
