A flight attendant was allegedly assaulted as she left Phoenix Sky Harbor in the early hours of Friday morning in a suspected hate crime according to the Phoenix Police Department who confirmed that a suspect in the case had already been taken into custody.
Brandon Smith, 32, has been charged with four counts of assault, as well as a probation violation. Smith is due to appear in court for an initial hearing next Thursday.
The flight attendant was assaulted at around 2:15 am on Friday while she was on a Sky Train platform at 44th Street. The station is close to an employee parking lot on the edge of the airport.
The police department did not detail the extent of the assault or say what Smith allegedly said to the victim that has turned the incident into a hate crime investigation.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Phoenix Sky Harbor said of the incident: “The safety and security of our employees and customers is our top priority.”
“We are very concerned about the assault of this employee and we commend her for her bravery and composure which assisted Police in quickly arresting the suspect.”
“We are constantly assessing the security environment at the airport, and we will closely examine what lead to this incident to determine whether additional security measures can and should be implemented.”
Other flight attendants who work out of Sky Harbor and who were interviewed by local media said they didn’t feel safe around the 44th Street station late at night.
