Altercation at Miami International Airport lands passengers late for Mexico flight in jail, MDSO says

By Anna McAllister

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    MIAMI (WFOR) — A man and woman were arrested at Miami International Airport Sunday after the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said they got into an altercation with someone working at the airport.

According to deputies, Rafael Seirafe-Novaes and Beatriz Rapoport De Campos Maia were late boarding an American Airlines flight to Cancun, Mexico, when they tried to force themselves onto the flight.

MDSO said one of them threw their coffee on someone working at the airport during the altercation.

A cell phone video captured the moment Seirafe-Novaes was taken down by officers. Both Seirafe-Novaes and Rapoport De Campos Maia were arrested and charged with battery and trespassing, and Seirafe-Novaes was also charged with resisting an officer.

American Airlines provided CBS News Miami with this statement that read in part: “Acts of violence are not tolerated by American Airlines and we are committed to working closely with law enforcement in their investigation.”

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