FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Two Broward County sheriff's deputies were hurt and a pair of unruly tourists were arrested Monday after an argument over carry-on luggage turned violent at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, authorities said.
According to the Broward Sheriff's Office arrest report, Nick Bogomolsky, 61, and Ida Shafir, 67, were about to board a Delta Airlines flight to New York just after 7 a.m. when Delta employees told them that they had to check their carry-on luggage because the flight's overhead bins were at capacity.
The couple began arguing with the Delta staff with Shafir refusing to check her bag. The dispute became so heated that the couple was escorted away from the gate to the bridge that connects the terminal to the plane. Eventually, they were asked to leave, the report said. When the couple refused, Delta staff called deputies to intervene.
The deputies tried to calm the couple down, but Shafir dared them to arrest her.
When a deputy attempted to arrest Shafir, she bit him on the arm, drawing blood, the report said.
Bogomolsky tried to grab another deputy's gun, leading to a struggle, the report said. The second deputy had injuries to his knee and thumb.
Paramedics took the deputies to Broward Health Medical Center for treatment.
The flight to John F. Kennedy International Airport was delayed because of the incident.
Bogomolsky and Sharif, of Brooklyn, New York, face charges of battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest and trespassing.