Flying into LGA this afternoon I grabbed my bag from baggage claim and made my way to an exit when a "gentleman" (wearing no distinctive clothing whatsoever) got in my way and mumbled something about ID while flashing a pile of United claim tags.

I said "No thanks." and tried to step around him but he grabbed my arm and said "whats the problem?". I firmly said "Get your hands off of me" and kept walking. He shouted some protests but let go and I went to where I was going.

It's been a while since I've flown through LGA -- and last time I could have sworn they were in uniform and far less aggressive -- but are these goons really trained to assault (i.e. offensive and unwanted touching) customers or is someone camping out in the terminal trying to get unsuspecting passenger's IDs?

The lack of a uniform combined with the demand for ID rather than a bag tag (which I was just as unlikely to offer a stranger) Just makes me generally suspicious.