Man arrested at MIA charged with assaulting U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agent

Suspect identified as Nivaldo Emilio Lopez

MIAMI – A man who was arrested Wednesday afternoon at Miami International Airport has been charged with assaulting a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent.

Nivaldo Emilio Lopez was assigned a federal public defender on Thursday. 

Prosecutors believe Lopez is a flight risk, so a detention hearing has been scheduled for Oct. 31. 
His arraignment is scheduled for Nov. 9.

Lopez was arrested Wednesday after making threatening remarks at the Concourse D check-in area, according to Miami-Dade Aviation Department spokesman Greg Chin.

Witnesses said multiple Miami-Dade police officers held Lopez down as he resisted their efforts to detain him.

One witness told Local 10 News that Lopez tried to enter a baggage area where American Airlines employees work.

"He walked in there where people were checking their bags and just started screaming," Orlando Perez said. "They just started screaming back and forth, and then I saw one of the TSA guys say, 'Call the cops,' because he was screaming louder and louder and louder."

Video taken at the scene shows that the suspect's hands and feet were bound as he was detained.

"They held him down, but he didn't want to be held down and it took like four or five cops -- it took a little while," Perez said. 

Operations inside of the airport were unaffected as passengers continued to filter through, although traffic coming to the airport was backed up during the incident.

Perez was eventually carried outside, where paramedics were waiting to treat him for injuries sustained during the takedown.

"He started fighting one of those customs agents," Perez said. 

It's unclear what led to the initial outburst. 


About the Authors:

Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.