Tased in Terminal 1: The 5 A.M. Fort Lauderdale Airport Arrest, and What a Battery-on-an-Officer Charge Actually Requires
On January 17, 2024, Broward Sheriff's deputies at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport tased a 32-year-old man who, they say, assaulted a deputy trying to calm a disturbance in Terminal 1. Both went to the hospital. The charges, the bodycam, what the record confirms, and the two other FLL encounters this footage is sometimes confused with.
At about 5:10 a.m. on Wednesday, January 17, 2024, Broward Sheriff's Office deputies assigned to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport responded to reports of a man "creating a disturbance" in Terminal 1. The airport at that hour is early check-in and coffee, not crowds. What happened next put a deputy and a passenger in the same hospital.
This file is built from the Sheriff's Office account as reported by NBC 6, WPTV, WFLX, and BocaNewsNow, and from the charges filed. The man arrested has not been convicted and is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
What the Sheriff's Office says happened
The first deputy on scene tried to de-escalate. According to BSO, the man "began to assault the deputy." A backup deputy deployed a Taser. Both the man and the first deputy were taken to Broward Health Medical Center; the deputy was cleared and released, and the man, identified as Anthony Costi, 32, was arrested after treatment.
The charges: battery on a law enforcement officer, a felony; obstruction or resisting with violence, a felony; and disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor. Bond, case number, and assigned judge were not reported. No disposition has been publicly reported since the arrest.
What the footage shows, and what it cannot
Body camera footage of a Taser deployment at an airport shows three things clearly: the commands given, the moment of contact, and the deployment itself. It does not show intent, which is what separates a battery-on-an-officer charge from a resisting charge from no charge at all. Florida's battery statute requires an intentional touching or striking against the officer's will; "resisting with violence" requires knowing the person is an officer and opposing them with force. An intoxicated or medically impaired traveler flailing at a deputy can satisfy both, neither, or one, depending on facts a camera does not capture. Our guide to reading bodycam footage like an investigator walks through that distinction.
The Sheriff's Office statement is the only official account. The man's side has not been reported.
Not to be confused with
Fort Lauderdale's airport has produced other widely viewed bodycam, and the clips get conflated online.
- April 9, 2020. Kevon Todd, 29, tried to breach a security checkpoint after an argument with airline staff and died after a struggle with deputies. The medical examiner attributed his death to acute intoxication from the synthetic drug eutylone and found deputies did not contribute; the report said no Taser was deployed, which a family attorney disputed after viewing the footage BSO released in July 2020.
- November 28, 2024. A curbside Thanksgiving confrontation in which Richard Messina, 73, was bloodied and he, his son, and his pregnant daughter-in-law were charged with battery on an officer; no Taser was reported, and BSO referred the incident to its Use of Force Review Board.
Neither is this case.
Why this case file matters
Airport bodycam is a genre of its own: high-stress travelers, deputies with a narrow mandate, and cameras everywhere. This one is a reminder that the most common outcome of a viral airport arrest is silence. There has been no reported plea, trial, or dismissal in the two and a half years since, and the only account in the record is the arresting agency's. Our video on the case presents the footage with that caveat attached. For what the charges mean before any court has ruled, see charged versus convicted.
Sources & records
- NBC 6: man tased while attacking deputy at Fort Lauderdale airport arrested (Jan. 17, 2024)
- WPTV: man arrested after assaulting deputy at FLL, sheriff's office says (Jan. 17, 2024)
- WFLX: Taser used on man after deputy assaulted at airport (Jan. 17, 2024)
- BocaNewsNow: fight at Fort Lauderdale airport leads to arrest (Jan. 17, 2024)
- NBC 6: BSO releases bodycam of Kevon Todd's death (July 3, 2020)
- NBC 6: Thanksgiving confrontation at FLL (Jan. 10, 2025)
Case status as of this writing: Anthony Costi was arrested January 17, 2024, on charges of battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting with violence, and disorderly conduct; no disposition has been publicly reported, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. This article is based on the Broward Sheriff's Office account as reported and on contemporaneous coverage. Featured image: the international terminal at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, via Wikimedia Commons, credited below the image.
Reported to our editorial standards: records first, charges reported as charges, corrections welcomed.
Frequently asked questions
What happened at Fort Lauderdale airport on January 17, 2024?+
At about 5:10 a.m., Broward Sheriff's Office deputies responded to reports of a man creating a disturbance in Terminal 1 at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. According to BSO, the first deputy tried to de-escalate and the man began to assault him; a second deputy deployed a Taser. Both the man and the deputy were taken to Broward Health Medical Center. The deputy was cleared and released, and the man, identified as Anthony Costi, 32, was arrested after treatment.
What was Anthony Costi charged with?+
Battery on a law enforcement officer, obstruction or resisting with violence, and disorderly conduct, according to the Sheriff's Office. He has not been reported convicted and is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. No disposition has been publicly reported.
Is this the same incident as the man who died at Fort Lauderdale airport?+
No. On April 9, 2020, Kevon Todd, 29, died after a struggle with deputies at an FLL security checkpoint; the medical examiner attributed his death to acute drug intoxication and said deputies did not contribute, and the report stated no Taser was used, though a family attorney disputed that. It is a separate case. A November 2024 Thanksgiving curbside confrontation involving a 73-year-old man and his family is also separate.
Was the airport bodycam released by the Sheriff's Office?+
BSO issued a statement describing the January 17, 2024 arrest but no outlet reported a bodycam release. Footage of the incident circulating online would have been obtained through a Florida public-records request. Florida's public-records law makes most body camera footage available on request once an investigation is closed.
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