Authorities in Grand Junction, Colo., arrived at the Grand Junction Airport Wednesday to arrest a man who caused a scene on a flight headed from Norfolk, Va., to Los Angeles, Calif., according to the local police department.
“He’s belligerent, he’s using racial slurs, he’s in people’s face,” said PK Mackey, a fellow passenger on the Breeze Airways flight quoted by NBC News. She also told NBC that other passengers said the man was drunk and that a football player had to jump in to help subdue the aggressive passenger before the plane made its emergency landing in Colorado. Video of the incident is also circulating online.
In a Facebook post, the Grand Junction police said officers arrived at the scene at around 11:15 a.m. to help handle the unruly passenger. The Independent, citing the Federal Bureau of Investigation, identified a man taken into custody by the agency as 46-year-old David Leroy Carter of Los Angeles.
“Officers learned that an intoxicated male passenger became agitated, yelling racist slurs at airline staff while waving a skateboard,” said the Grand Junction Police Department. “Airline staff placed the man in restraints twice, but he was able to break free both times. At no time did the suspect physically assault anyone, and no injuries were reported. Upon landing, the passenger was taken into custody by the Grand Junction Police Department at the direction of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and transported to the Mesa County Detention Facility.”
It also said that the case will be handled by the FBI going forward. According to The Independent, the FBI said the U.S. Attorney's Office for Colorado would announce any charges against Carter “at an appropriate time.”
In a statement cited by The Independent, Breeze Airways said: “The plane was met promptly by local law enforcement officers, who restrained and removed the passenger from the aircraft.”
CBS News reported that the airline deplaned the 132 passengers and five crew members. After they were evaluated, Breeze gave the passengers travel vouchers, the outlet added.
Data from the Federal Aviation Administration shows that there was as steep spike in unruly passengers during the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 5,000 reported in 2021. So far this year, the FAA has reported more than 1,000 unruly passenger incidents. Audacy has reported on multiple incidents this year, including an April report of a man who allegedly drank an entire bottle of prosecco and exposed his genitals to a flight attendant and a report from last month of a passenger who allegedly attempted to open an exit row door.