Man sentenced over large fight caught on video at MSP Airport
One of the people seen in a 2021 viral video brawling at MSP Airport has been sentenced to jail time.
Edward L. Triplett, a 42-year-old Andover resident, was convicted last Friday on a fifth-degree assault charge as well as disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors. He was acquitted on a riot charge and a separate count of fifth-degree assault.
According to the criminal complaint, the fight — which happened shortly before midnight on November 26, 2021, in Terminal 2 — involved 10-15 people. The charges say Triplett walked up to another male during the brawl and punched in him in the head while his back was turned.
Video footage shows the fight carrying into a security area "which was cordoned off with metal stanchions holding retractable belts," with Triplett picking up one of the stanchions, lifting it over his head and throwing it, base first, "onto the head" of a male on the ground.
After the fight dispersed, police asked Triplett what had led up to the incident, to which he replied that "he wasn’t going to say anything and neither was anyone else because that’s not the way they played," the charges say.
Triplett was sentenced to four days in jail along with community service, and must pay nearly $400 in fines.
The brawl came at a time of rising violence among air travelers, a trend that began during the pandemic. At the time, the Federal Aviation Administration had taken 5,338 unruly passenger reports. Of those, 3,856 were related to face mask disputes.
