A chaotic scene unfolded at Orlando International Airport last week when a passenger erupted in anger at Southwest Airlines employees, leading to her arrest.
Video captured by traveler Peyton Turbeville shows 45-year-old Selomit Velez-Rodriguez shouting profanities at staff in the Southwest concourse. “Motherf-----, are you kidding me?” she yells repeatedly in the clip.
Dressed in a red long-sleeved shirt, shorts, a ballcap, and a large backpack, Velez-Rodriguez told employees she was trying to travel to bury her brother. At one point, she appeared to kick a staff member, prompting shocked gasps from bystanders. Someone nearby can be heard saying, “Oh, that’s assault.”
The tirade escalated as she slammed a desk monitor three times while shouting about missed flights. Witnesses said she had been frustrated after not making the standby list for three flights, though that detail has not been confirmed. Turbeville added that she tried to push past the gate after it closed and was stopped by staff.
Velez-Rodriguez struck another computer monitor with her phone, followed a Southwest worker through the concourse, and confronted other travelers as the scene drew more attention. Police were called around 9:30 p.m.
According to Orlando police, she disrupted boarding, hit an employee, and caused more than $1,000 in property damage. She resisted officers as they attempted to detain her but was eventually arrested.
She now faces charges of battery, criminal mischief, and resisting an officer without violence. Court records show she later posted $5,000 bond and was permitted to return to her home in Illinois.