A Raleigh man is going to prison for assaulting a TSA officer at RDU airport

A Raleigh man was sentenced to more than three years in federal prison after pleading guilty to assaulting a Transportation Security Administration officer at Raleigh-Durham International Airport last spring.

Adonis Fabian Zorrilla, 27, and a companion were going through the checkpoint last March when the TSA pulled their bags aside for inspection. Inside, they discovered 17 false identification cards with Zorilla’s photo and a variety of names, according to prosecutors.

Zorrilla then grabbed the TSA officer’s arm and tried to wrestle the ID cards from her, tearing one of her ligaments, according to prosecutors. He then took off running outside the airport, leaving his shoes and other belongings at the checkpoint.

Zorrilla was arrested nearly two months later in Bibb County, Georgia, where he was charged with forgery. He was returned to North Carolina, where he pled guilty to the assault charge in August.

Zorrilla was sentenced Thursday to 37 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, according to the U.S. District Attorney’s Office. He was also ordered to pay $4,103.35 in restitution.