Keith Owens pleaded guilty to assaulting a gate agent at DFW Airport in October 2024. (U.S. Dept. of Justice)
DALLAS - A Florida man who assaulted an American Airlines gate agent at DFW Airport was sentenced to four months in federal prison.
Florida Man Sentenced
The backstory:
Keith Charles Owens, 53, was charged via criminal complaint in November 2024 and pleaded guilty to assaulting the security screening personnel in January 2025.
He was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor, who also ordered Owens to pay nearly $6,000 in restitution.
In plea papers, Owens admitted he assaulted an American Airlines gate agent at DFW Airport on Oct. 5, 2024. Security footage showed Owens repeatedly punching the gate agent in the head.
According to court documents, at 4:42 p.m., Owens approached the gate agent at gate A36, explained he was late, and attempted to scan his boarding pass. When the gate agent informed him he was at the wrong gate, Owens cursed and walked away. The agent then radioed the correct gate, A35, to inform airline personnel that Owens was headed their way and appeared to be intoxicated.
Owens then walked onto the A35 jet bridge without scanning his boarding pass. Airline personnel removed him from the jet bridge.
A few moments later, at 4:48 p.m., Owens again approached gate A36. He began yelling at the gate agent, grabbed him by the shoulders, and punched him repeatedly in the face and neck. Eventually, airline personnel were able to restrain him.
Both the gate agent and the personnel who assisted in restraining Owens sustained minor injuries. The flight departing from gate A36 was delayed.
The Source: Information in this article is from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Texas.