Florida man pleads guilty to assaulting DFW gate agent
Keith Owens pleaded guilty to assaulting a gate agent at DFW Airport in October 2024. (U.S. Dept. of Justice)
DALLAS - A Florida man pleaded guilty Wednesday to assaulting an American Airlines gate agent at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.
What we know:
Keith Charles Owens, 53, entered the guilty plea in front of Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Cureton Wednesday in the Northern District of Texas.
Owens was charged with interference with security screening personnel.
Security footage showed Owens repeatedly punching a gate agent in the head in October 2024.
He was eventually restrained by airline personnel. The gate agent and the personnel that restrained Owens were treated for minor injuries.
Timeline:
Prosecutors said Owens approached a gate agent at gate A36 around 4:42 p.m. on Oct. 5, 2024, and said he was late for his flight.
The agent told Owens he was at the wrong gate and then told the agent at the correct gate the Owens was on his way and appeared to be intoxicated.
Owens then attempted to board the plane at Gate A35 without scanning his boarding pass, but he was removed from the jet bridge, prosecutors said.
At 4:48 p.m., Owens returned to Gate A36, where prosecutors said he started yelling at the gate agent before grabbing him by the shoulders and punching him in the face and neck. Owens was eventually restrained by airline personnel.
What we don't know:
Owens was not sentenced after entering the guilty plea. He faces up to 10 years in federal prison.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 2, 2025.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the U.S. Department of Justice.