• Video
  • Shop
  • Culture
  • Family
  • Wellness
  • Food
  • Living
  • Style
  • Travel
  • News
  • Book Club
  • Newsletter
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your US State Privacy Rights
  • Children's Online Privacy Policy
  • Interest-Based Ads
  • Terms of Use
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Contact Us
  • © 2026 ABC News
  • News

Air traffic control room fight at Reagan National Airport leads to arrest

1:34
FAA investigating close call at Reagan National Airport
Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images
ByLeah Sarnoff
April 01, 2025, 7:46 PM

A fight in the air traffic control tower at Reagan National Airport, or DCA, in the Washington, D.C., area led to an employee being arrested and charged with assault.

Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority said in a statement to ABC News that police arrested Damon Marsalis Gaines last week after reports of a fight breaking out in the airport's control tower.

Gaines, 40, was ultimately charged with assault and battery, officials said.

The air traffic control tower at the Reagan National Airport on February 03, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia.
Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

Related Articles

MORE: DC plane crash: A timeline of the deadly collision

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement that Gaines was put on administrative leave while the agency investigates the incident.

Further details about what led to the fight have yet to be released.

Related Articles

MORE: Pilots warned of safety concerns at Reagan National Airport for decades

The arrest at DCA comes months after the deadly mid-air collision between a regional jet and an Army Blackhawk Helicopter that left 70 dead.

Sixty-seven people were on the American Airlines plane, which departed from Wichita, Kansas on Jan. 29 and three Army soldiers were aboard the helicopter, which was on a training flight at the time, officials said.

ABC News' Clara McMichael contributed to this report.

Up Next in News—

This San Francisco shop is run completely by an AI agent

April 23, 2026

Mother charged after teen son allegedly hits and injures 81-year-old veteran while riding e-motorcycle

April 23, 2026

UK bill banning smoking products for those born after 2008 is one step away from becoming law

April 22, 2026

Pilot killed in Florida plane crash hailed as hero

April 21, 2026

Shop GMA Favorites

ABC will receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

Sponsored Content by Taboola

The latest lifestyle and entertainment news and inspiration for how to live your best life - all from Good Morning America.
  • Contests
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Children’s Online Privacy Policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Your US State Privacy Rights
  • Interest-Based Ads
  • About Nielsen Measurement
  • Press
  • Feedback
  • Shop FAQs
  • ABC News
  • ABC
  • All Videos
  • All Topics
  • Sitemap

© 2026 ABC News
  • Privacy Policy— 
  • Your US State Privacy Rights— 
  • Children's Online Privacy Policy— 
  • Interest-Based Ads— 
  • Terms of Use— 
  • Do Not Sell My Info— 
  • Contact Us— 

© 2026 ABC News