Man Accused Of Yelling Racial Slurs At Bradley International Airport

WINDSOR LOCKS, CT — A Wisconsin resident was arrested Saturday evening at Bradley International Airport after yelling at a sandwich shop employee and using a racial slur, according to state police.

Michael Barnet, 38, of Madison, Wisconsin, was taken into custody and charged with second-degree breach of peace, third-degree intimidation based on bigotry or bias, and second-degree threatening. He was released on a $2,500 cash/surety bond, and is scheduled to be arraigned in Hartford Superior Court April 25.

Around 6:33 p.m., troopers assigned to patrol operations at the airport responded to the D’Angelo Grilled Sandwiches shop, located inside the terminal, for a report of an active disturbance. The complainant, a black female employee of D’Angelo, said due to an unusually high volume of customers during her shift, the restaurant had run out of bread to make sandwiches, according to police.

The employee made an announcement to waiting customers and offered to complete their orders as wraps instead. She went on to explain a tall white man began using profanity and verbally threatened her, police said.

As the investigation was underway, a witness further reported they had witnessed the man yelling at the complainant, and he had referred to her by using a racial slur. With the help of additional witnesses, troopers quickly located the man, later identified as Barnet, in the airport’s west concourse, police said.

The Connecticut State Police Hate Crimes Unit was notified of the circumstances surrounding the arrest, according to police.