Man given jail time for role in large brawl inside MSP airport

A bystander's video of the incident, which lasted just over a minute, was posted on social media and shared thousands of times.

June 22, 2023 at 12:14PM
Frontier Airlines plane in sky.
A fight broke out in Terminal 2 of MSP Airport after two large groups deplaned from a Frontier Airlines flight. (Matt Rourke, Associated Press file/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

A 42-year-old man has been convicted of two misdemeanors and sentenced to four days in jail for his role in a large brawl inside Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport over Thanksgiving weekend in 2021.

Edward L. Triplett of Andover was convicted last week in Hennepin County District Court of one count each of disorderly conduct and fifth-degree assault in connection with the mayhem on Nov. 26, 2021, near a Terminal 2 gate.

Jurors acquitted Triplett on a third-degree riot charge, a gross misdemeanor, and a second fifth-degree assault count.

Along with jail time, Triplett's sentence includes $378 in fines and fees, and 32 hours of community work service that must be performed within 90 days of sentencing.

The fights erupted among a dozen or so passengers after two large groups exited a Frontier Airlines flight from Orlando, according to an airport spokesman. Injuries inflicted were minor, the spokesman said.

A bystander's video of the incident, which lasted just over a minute, was posted on social media and shared thousands of times. Neither law enforcement nor airport officials have said what sparked the conflict.

In May, jurors acquitted a 38-year-old woman of charges related to the brawl.

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Paul Walsh

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Paul Walsh is a general assignment reporter at the Minnesota Star Tribune. He wants your news tips, especially in and near Minnesota.

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