Man Indicted for Assaulting TSA and Police at Las Vegas Airport

  • Jhon Raul Vizcaino Ramirez is facing federal charges after allegedly attacking TSA personnel and Las Vegas police officers at Harry Reid International
  • Vizcaino Ramirez reportedly resisted arrest after trying to board a flight using another passenger’s ticket

A federal grand jury has indicted a man for allegedly fighting TSA officers and trying to stab police officers at Harry Reid International Airport. Jhon Raul Vizcaino Ramirez, 30, faces two federal counts of interfering with security screening personnel, two counts of assaulting individuals assisting law enforcement, and one count of entering a secure airport area under false pretenses.

A TSA officer. (Image: Andrew Wevers/Getty)

The incident unfolded at a TSA screening area inside Terminal 1 on November 3, according to court documents obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal and KLAS-TV/Las Vegas.

Viszcaino Ramirez, a bandana covering half his face, allegedly tried boarding a flight to Rochester, NY, with a plane ticket bearing a woman’s name. Suspicious, a TSA officer called for backup.

Two TSA officers responded. The one acting as a Spanish interpreter asked him for identification. Vizcaino Ramirez retrieved a passport sealed in a plastic bag from his pocket. However, he refused to hand it over, according to prosecutors, and instead struck the officer on the right side of his head, sending the glasses flying off his face.

The officer called for assistance from Las Vegas police, whose officers routinely patrol the terminals. When two arrived to try to detain him, according to court records, Vizcaino Ramirez resisted arrest violently, kicking one officer in the head and arm, then grabbing a pen from one of the officers and attempting to stab both with it.

Vizcaino Ramirez was eventually subdued and handcuffed, though one officer required medical attention for his injuries.

During a November 24 federal court hearing, Judge Elayna Youchah ordered Vizcaino Ramirez held without bail at the Clark County Detention Center.

Vizcaino Ramirez’s arraignment is scheduled for December 12.

Corey Levitan joined Casino.org in 2022 after a long career covering Las Vegas. He currently covers entertainment, dining and gaming news in Las Vegas.

Corey spent six years covering the Vegas Strip for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, where he also wrote the most popular humor column in the city’s history. (For “Fear and Loafing,” he tried out 176 Vegas jobs, including poker player, blackjack dealer and Follie Bergere dancer.)

Corey has won more than 100 local, state and national awards for his journalism, which has also appeared in Rolling Stone, New York Magazine and the New York Post.

Corey is a New York native whose hobbies include playing guitar, trying to be a better husband, and arguing with strangers on Facebook.

Contact Corey at corey@casino.org.

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