LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — By now, you've probably seen the video: Two people in street clothes struggling with a man on the ground at Harry Reid International Airport. A handcuff dangles from the man's wrist. A Transportation Security Administration agent warns bystanders to get back, calling it a law enforcement operation.
But almost as soon as it all started, the pair get up and walk away, leaving the man partially handcuffed on the ground — and leaving the general public to question what happened and why.
Watch the video shared with Channel 13 here:
Many of those questions flooded the comments on Channel 13's social media in the hours since we posted the video on Thursday, and we wanted to try to get some answers.
What we know: The Department of Homeland Security issued a statement identifying the incident as an ICE operation. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department did the same, as did the Los Angeles ICE office, through a post on X.
According to DHS, the man being restrained in the video is 57-year-old Phu Nguyen, a resident of Australia who was born in Vietnam. DHS states Nguyen was issued a US visa in May 2013, which expired in May 2015, and that agents attempted to take him into custody at the Las Vegas airport but were deterred by "agitators."
Crime
ICE claims agents attempted to detain man seen in viral Las Vegas airport video
LVMPD officials say their officers checked Nguyen for outstanding warrants, found none, removed the partial handcuff from his wrist, and he boarded his flight. DHS says Nguyen was later arrested at the Los Angeles International Airport.
Millions of people who've seen the now-viral video were left to question what went wrong and what should have happened instead.
To try to answer some of those questions, we turned to Ray Johnson. He's the former special agent in charge of the FBI Las Vegas Field Office and a current adjunct professor at UNLV's William S. Boyd School of Law.
Channel 13 senior reporter Alyssa Bethencourt spoke to him on Friday to get his perspective on how the agents in the video appear to have handled the situation, what legalities were observed or not observed, and what best practice would be for a federal law enforcement officer in a similar situation.
Johnson shares his perspective on the situation in the video below, which includes an extended Q&A:
Channel 13 also spoke to the person who shared the video, Chris Motley, to get his perspective on what the video didn't capture.
If you have questions about this incident, or want to share your perspective, let us know by filling out the form at ktnv.com/letstalk at the link below.
