Can you imagine getting on your flight, hoping for a smooth trip, only for it to get rough… and not because of turbulence? Well, that’s exactly what happened to folks aboard a recent Breeze Airways flight.
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The LA-bound plane had to be diverted to Colorado after a drunk passenger not only hurled racial slurs but also threatened plane staff. You can read about similar wild in-flight incidents here.
The incident in the air
According to police, the unruly passenger was waving a skateboard and even got into an altercation with flight attendants before another passenger stepped in to subdue him. At one point, he broke loose, forcing other passengers to step in and hold him down.
Authorities later identified the man as 46-year-old David Leroy Carter Jr. of Los Angeles. He was taken into custody by Grand Junction police at the direction of the FBI and booked into the Mesa County Detention Facility.
In a statement released Wednesday, the airline said,
“Breeze flight MX704 with service from Norfolk, Va. (ORF) to Los Angeles (LAX) diverted to Grand Junction, Co. (GJT) after a passenger onboard initiated a physical altercation with other Guests and Flight Attendants. The plane was met promptly by local law enforcement officers, who restrained and removed the passenger from the aircraft. One Flight Attendant and one Guest were evaluated for minor injuries. Our focus now is on taking care of our Crew and remaining Guests who have been unfairly inconvenienced by this unfortunate event and getting them safely to their final destination as quickly as possible.”
What happened after the landing?
After landing in Grand Junction, Breeze deplaned all 132 passengers and the five crew members for evaluation. The airline did feed the passengers and handed out travel vouchers.
But here’s the kicker — the crew reportedly “timed out” for the day, meaning they couldn’t legally fly again until Thursday morning. That left everyone stuck in Colorado for hours.
It’s unclear what charges Carter will face, but the FBI is handling the case. And judging by how this went down, they might be throwing the book at him.
Whew.