Man in airport meltdown video speaks
ORLANDO, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - An airport meltdown turned into a terminal takedown at Orlando International Airport.
A man was screaming, swearing and foaming at the mouth, until the police put him in his place. Jeffrey Epstein, 59, of Lakeland says he may look crazy in the video, but he's not. He said everything he did at OIA, he did on purpose.
"This guy's trying to provoke me," you can hear him say in video of the incident, referring to the police officer.
The outburst that caught a lot of attention at OIA Thursday morning.
"They're arresting me. They're arresting me. They're really de-escalating things," Epstein can be heard saying.
This forced officers to charge Epstein with battery, resisting arrest, trespassing and disorderly conduct. He has since returned to his home, but he talked to FOX 35 after bonding out of jail on bond.
"I'm a provocative guy, and I do it on purpose. You know why? Because people don't say stuff. If you say it, people will debate it and talk about it. Maybe we'll get a solution," said Epstein.
According to police records, American Airlines called police when they said Epstein started acting disorderly. Epstein admits he was upset that the airline was taking so long to get him on his plane. When things turned physical with the police officers, he told FOX 35, "I figured a white guy getting arrested at an airport might get some attention to these black people who I think are legitimately concerned. If I was a black person, I'd be terrified."
Epstein said if given the chance, he probably wouldn't cause a scene like that again.
"My behavior wasn't perfect but I think there's problems in the system and maybe this'll bring light to it."
Epstein is a doctor who specializes in geriatrics and psychiatric medicine. Officers said they also found cannabis on him, but Epstein told FOX 35 he was not under the influence of any drugs when the incident happened.