"I didn't know at the time they were air marshals," says Cody Zink, who says one of the marshals kicked him in the groin area.
The marshals were apparently not in Grand Rapids on official
business. In June, a group of them visited for the weekend to relax in a
downtown hotel and enjoy the nightlife. They got into trouble after
witnesses say one shoved a woman at an outdoor hot dog cart and punched a
man trying to protect her.
"[The man] sucker punched him," says Zink. "[He] knocked him out in
one hit. His face hit the pavement on the sidewalk. Then they started
acting like they were going to start kicking him."
Zink and his friends asked the men to back away and let them help the
unconscious, bleeding man on the pavement. He says that's when the
suspects turned on them.
"I had my hands up saying,' I'm not trying to start a fight,'" he
recalls. "That's when the guy that was walking after me kicked me in the
testicles. I went down immediately."
Federal Air Marshal Matthew Davids, a five year veteran, and
27-year-old Jon Holdsworth are both facing misdemeanor assault charges.
The Transportation Security Agency would not comment on the
investigation or any marshal's current duty status.
"I was told they were both put on unpaid administrative leave as soon as the investigation began," says Zink.
The man knocked out for trying to assist a woman he didn't even know
needed more than a dozen stitches and could lose his front teeth.
"I don't care if you are an air marshal or a hot dog vendor, you
don't push a girl and attack two or three other people just because you
are out having a good time," says Zink. "They are supposed to be
protecting us."