An air traffic controller at Reagan National Airport has pleaded guilty to assaulting a co-worker in the airport’s control tower earlier this year.
Damon Marsalis Gaines admitted guilt yesterday (Wednesday) to one count of assault and battery — a misdemeanor — in Arlington County General District Court, according to online court records.
Gaines, a Maryland resident, received a suspended 30-day jail sentence, meaning he will not spend time behind bars so long as he has good behavior for the next 12 months, court documents said.
The 40-year-old was also ordered to take anger management classes and have “no assaultive contact” with the victim.
Gaines was arrested shortly after the March 27 incident and placed on leave, the Federal Aviation Administration said at the time.
It’s unclear what exactly led to the dispute between Gaines and the victim, though it did occur during a long period of turmoil at the airport. It took place two months after the fatal midair crash between a regional jet and a military helicopter above the Potomac River.
A handful of other mishaps have occurred at or near the airport this year, including an April 10 incident where two airplanes clipped wings on the ground and a May 1 incident where two aircraft came within less than half a mile of each other while in the air.
