Leigha Simonton, United States Attorney, Northern District of Texas | U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas
A Florida man has been sentenced to four months in federal prison for assaulting a gate agent at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Chad E. Meacham.
Keith Charles Owens, aged 53, faced charges via a criminal complaint in November 2024 and later admitted guilt in January 2025 to interfering with security screening personnel. U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor sentenced Owens to four months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered him to pay nearly $6,000 in restitution.
According to court documents, the incident occurred on October 5, 2024, when Owens assaulted an American Airlines gate agent at the airport. Security footage revealed that Owens repeatedly punched the gate agent in the head.
At approximately 4:42 p.m., Owens approached the gate agent at gate A36, explaining his tardiness and attempting to scan his boarding pass. Upon being told he was at the wrong gate, Owens used foul language and left. The gate agent then communicated with the correct gate, A35, alerting them that Owens, who appeared intoxicated, was on his way.
Owens proceeded to access the A35 jet bridge without scanning his pass, leading airline personnel to remove him. Shortly after, at 4:48 p.m., Owens returned to gate A36, yelled at the gate agent, and physically assaulted him. Airline staff were able to eventually restrain Owens, although several sustained minor injuries in the process. The altercation resulted in a delay of the flight scheduled to depart from gate A36.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation's Dallas Field Division, in partnership with the DFW Airport Department of Public Safety, led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Beck prosecuted the case.
