A New Jersey man is behind bars in South Florida after an argument over smoking outside Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport ended in a battery, authorities said.
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The incident happened Tuesday on the lower level outside Terminal 3 when a deputy responded to a report of a passenger yelling at a taxi employee, an arrest report said.
When the deputy arrived, they heard loud screaming and saw the suspect, 47-year-old Paul Thomas Soltys, raising his arms while trying to approach the employee and telling him he would “f— you up,” the report said.
The employee said he told Soltys that he couldn’t smoke near the taxis, which caused Soltys to “get agitated” and start yelling, the report said.
At one point, the employee said Soltys came at him, grabbed his arm and threatened him, the report said.
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Soltys was taken into custody, but while searching his personal items and luggage, the deputy found a clear plastic tube containing trace amounts of cocaine or cocaine base, the report said.
The deputy also found a baggie containing six pills of Oxycodone, the report said.
In addition to a battery charge, Soltys, of Sicklerville, N.J., was charged with possession of cocaine and possession of Oxycodone, and booked into jail.
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