An Australian citizen, aged 35, has entered a plea of not guilty to a federal charge, following allegations of an aggressive encounter with a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer at Los Angeles International Airport.
Identified as Thomas Jesse Bingham from Melbourne, he made his plea on Thursday in a Los Angeles federal courtroom. Bingham faces an accusation of assaulting a federal officer, which led to the officer sustaining injuries.
Should Bingham be found guilty, he may face a prison sentence of up to eight years. His trial is provisionally scheduled to commence on May 12.
The altercation reportedly took place on March 15, when Bingham was on the verge of flying to Las Vegas.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Bingham believed that a TSA officer had seized his backpack and passport.
Officials describe that Bingham confronted the officer, who was in uniform, within a restroom and pursued him outside, where the situation intensified.
Prosecutors allege Bingham grabbed the officer’s uniform, ripped off his identification lanyard, pulled his hair, and shoved him into a glass wall during the altercation.
The agent later reported pain in his hand and back and sought medical evaluation.
Airport police initially arrested Bingham, and officials later located his missing carry-on bag and passport at a restaurant in Terminal 7 that he had visited earlier.
He was released from custody but was taken into custody again at LAX before boarding a flight to the United Kingdom.
