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A man was arrested at Santiago airport on Tuesday after causing significant damage to the American Airlines check-in area. The individual, reportedly of Haitian descent, had purchased a ticket to Miami, only to discover upon arrival that the ticket was fraudulent.
Upon learning that he would not be able to travel, the man became enraged and retrieved a hammer from his backpack. Witnesses watched in shock as he proceeded to smash multiple computers and large check-in screens at the American Airlines counter.
Local police estimate he caused approximately 20 million Chilean pesos (US$22,000) in damages during the incident. The Western Santiago Prefecture Police confirmed that they had detained the man. It turns out he had the hammer because he is a construction worker and had come to the airport straight from a job.
