Anthony Wayne Tavoloni Jr, Assault on TSA Officers, Oregon 2017

A 45-year-old man from Salem, Oregon, has been sentenced to three years’ probation, including three months of home detention, for assaulting two Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security officers at Portland International Airport.

According to court documents, on August 20, 2017, Anthony Wayne Tavoloni, Jr., entered the TSA checkpoint at PDX, refused to show his boarding pass and identification, and became aggressive when asked to comply.

A TSO, who has not been identified, asked Tavoloni for his boarding pass and identification a second time, to which he replied, “You really want to do this?” as he stepped toward the TSO. Tavoloni then walked behind the TSO’s table, prompting the TSO to jump from her chair, back away from him, and yell, “Stop, Stop, Stop!”

Tavoloni grabbed the TSO by her forearms and attempted to wrestle her to the ground. Alerted, a number of passengers rushed to assist the TSO, restraining Tavoloni while others attempted to separate the TSO from his grip.

With multiple TSOs now standing between Tavoloni and the victim, Tavoloni exclaimed “We’re about to have a bad day, do you really want to do this?” to which another TSO replied “No one needs to have a bad day.” Tavoloni then lunged at this TSO, striking him in the face with his hand.

Tavoloni was promptly wrestled to the ground and held until Port of Portland Police arrived. He previously pleaded guilty to two counts of assaulting certain officers or employees in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 111(a)(1) on May 21, 2018.

The case was investigated by the TSA and the FBI and prosecuted by John Brassell, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.