“Fast Times at Ridgemont High” star Judge Reinhold has apologized for the incident that led to his arrest at the Dallas Love Field airport in Texas on Thursday, citing medication that he was taking in his explanation for the incident.
In a statement released by his attorney, Tom Melsheimer, Reinhold said, “I have to say that the past 48 hours have been the most unusual, hair-raising and regrettable two days of my life. At best, it’s a cautionary tale.”
Reinhold said that he had been prescribed Cipro to treat a respiratory infection the night before the flight and, after experiencing a bad reaction to the antibiotic, he was given ” Zantax and Prednisone to ward off any recurrence of the reaction while in flight.”
“No matter how seemingly harmless a medication can be, don’t ever introduce anything into your body chemistry when you’re about to travel,” the actor added.
Reinhold said that he was singled out for a pat-down by TSA employees because of “a mysterious shape” in his backpack, which “turned out to be a dense stack of DVD and CDs I ALWAYS carry without incident.”
“It was then I started to argue with TSA over something I had no control over. Never a good idea,” Reinhold noted.
“Two Dallas police officers came over and gave me every opportunity to keep my mouth shut. I didn’t comply with the pat down or their suggestions. This led to my arrest,” Reinhold continued. “I knew better, I just didn’t do the right thing.”
“I feel especially embarrassed about self-righteous indignation when I’ve enjoyed 30 years of support and camaraderie with law enforcement,” Reinhold continued. “I want to apologize to the Dallas Police for wasting their time today. I want to acknowledge TSA’s experienced agents as well as the recent influx of trainees that seem unprepared to detain people.”
Reinhold was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct on Thursday. According to the Dallas Police Department, officers were alerted by the TSA that an individual was “causing a disturbance” and refusing to submit to a screening at a checkpoint area.
“The officers responded and subsequently took the individual into custody after he refused to comply,” police said.