LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Chris Motley wasn't trying to record a viral video. He was simply waiting for his flight when something unfolding nearby caught his attention.
"It didn't look right, so I just started recording," Motley said.
His cellphone video, recorded inside Harry Reid International Airport, has now been viewed millions of times. It shows two people in plain clothes trying to detain a man before abruptly walking away, leaving him wearing one handcuff.
WATCH | Man who recorded viral airport ICE encounter explains what he saw
For Motley, the biggest reason the encounter stood out wasn't the struggle itself. It was the way the people making the arrest were dressed.
"The plain clothes threw it all off," he said.
Without uniforms or any obvious law enforcement markings, Motley said he didn't immediately realize he was watching federal agents. He also says he never heard anyone identify themselves as law enforcement during the encounter.
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As the situation unfolded, one question kept running through his mind.
"Why leave?" Motley said. "If that's who you were after, why walk away?"
Those same questions spread quickly online as the video circulated across social media.
The Department of Homeland Security later identified the two people in the video as ICE agents attempting to arrest Phu Nguyen, a 57-year-old Australian citizen the agency says overstayed his visa after legally entering the United States in 2013.
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According to DHS, agents decided to abandon the arrest after a crowd surrounded them, citing officer safety and the need to de-escalate the situation.
Metro police later responded to the airport, found Nguyen still wearing one handcuff and removed it after determining there were no outstanding warrants.
Nguyen boarded his flight to Los Angeles, where ICE arrested him the following day after he landed at LAX.
DHS says Nguyen remains in ICE custody as he faces removal proceedings.
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