Los Angeles airport police used a Taser to subdue a Danville man after he breached security Wednesday at LAX, officials said.
Airport police were notified by Transportation Security Administration officers that a man, later identified as 21-year-old Christian James Heinz, was not cooperating with security officials in the screening area at Terminal 6.
As police tried to help the TSA officers, Heinz refused to cooperate and pushed past an officer. They followed Heinz and detained him at Gate 66.
Actor Verne Troyer, best known for his role as Mini Me in the "Austin Powers" film series, was at the airport and captured the Heinz’s interaction with police.
In Troyer’s video, which the actor posted to his YouTube channel, an officer can be seen trying to handcuff Heinz, who then raises his arms and walks away.
Another cellphone video taken by a passenger in the terminal shows an officer deploying the Taser on Heinz as he lay face down the ground. Heinz, who was unarmed, was taken to a hospital to be evaluated.
Heinz's father said he and his wife are stunned over the incident. He says his son, who is studying business administration at UC Berkeley, was traveling home from Panama where he was taking part in a university-sponsored program aimed at providing financial guidance to low-income people.
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"He came back from a mission, that was a good thing," said Heinz's father. "Why he did what he did, I don't know."
No passengers in the checkpoint were injured.
