Shocking body camera footage released this week has revealed the moment a United Airlines flight attendant was arrested following a heated altercation with a fellow airline worker at a Florida airport, an incident initially branded as "racist".
The Confrontation at the Shuttle Bus
The incident unfolded on March 8 at Tampa International Airport's employee parking lot. United crewmember Fredrick Fleischmann, 58, became involved in a dispute with a French-speaking Cayman Airways flight attendant while both were waiting for a shuttle bus.
According to the alleged victim, she was speaking in French on the phone to her uncle when Fleischmann approached and told her to "close her mouth". She claimed he added, "It's my last week here. Trump is gonna deport me." The woman responded by asking if he was racist, which she repeated to police officers who arrived on the scene.
Diverging Accounts and an Arrest
The situation allegedly escalated when they boarded the shuttle. The Cayman Airways attendant stated that Fleischmann tapped her on the shoulder and said he would ensure she was fired from her job. She demonstrated this action to deputies using her colleague.
Fleischmann provided a contrasting version of events to police. He claimed the woman was "screaming" on her phone and he had merely asked her to be quiet. He admitted to turning around and putting his hand on her shoulder while saying, "Can you please stop?" He insisted this was the only time he touched her.
A police officer informed him that this constituted battery under Florida law. "When you touch or strike somebody without permission... If you wouldn't have even touched her, we would've left it at verbal," the officer stated, citing Florida statute 784.03. Fleischmann was subsequently arrested but released on the condition he would appear in court.
Case Dropped Months Later
The body camera video from the airport police department was made public on December 12. However, records show the case against Fleischmann was dropped on May 16, months after the March arrest.
When approached for comment, a United Airlines spokesperson said, "We have nothing to share on this." The Daily Mail also reached out to Fleischmann's lawyer and Cayman Airways.
