Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in plainclothes tried to detain a man at Harry Reid International Airport on Monday, but bystanders intervened, prompting the officers to abandon the arrest, according to authorities.
Phu Nguyen, 57, of Vietnam, was later arrested at the Los Angeles International Airport, where he landed Tuesday, according to an X post from ICE Los Angeles.
The post said that he had overstayed his visa.
A spokesperson with the Metropolitan Police Department said that airport officers were “notified of a disturbance” in Terminal 3 at Harry Reid International Airport just after 6 p.m.
When they arrived, Metro said, officers observed an elderly male with a handcuff attached to one arm.
“During the investigation, our officers learned Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents had attempted to detain the individual but walked away from the arrest,” the emailed statement from Metro said.
Metro also said that at the time officers found no outstanding warrants for the man. They said they removed the handcuff from his wrist and notified ICE.
Days later, a video depicting the arrest attempt circulated online. The video shows a man and a woman wearing hoodies and sneakers, pinning a man to the ground. The woman also wore a blue surgical mask, and at one point, a badge was seen on her belt.
The male officer began waving away at Chris Motley, the person recording the video, and shortly thereafter, another man in a Transportation Security Administration uniform stepped between the officers and the recorder.
“Everyone, back up,” the TSA officer said.
After a crowd began to gather, the two plainclothes officers abruptly walked away, lifting the hoods of their jackets over their heads.
Motley did not respond to an inquiry from the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Spokespeople for the Los Angeles International Airport and one for the Transportation Security Administration could not be reached. Immigration and Customs Enforcement representatives did not respond to an emailed request for comment.
Contact Akiya Dillon at adillon@reviewjournal.com.
