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Unruly passenger opens plane door, tries to jump onto the tarmac at Phoenix airport

Melissa Yeager
The Republic | azcentral.com

An early morning flight from Minneapolis to Phoenix ended in some commotion Friday morning when an unruly passenger attempted to run onto the tarmac at Sky Harbor International Airport, reports The Arizona Republic, which is part of the USA TODAY Network. 

It happened on American Airlines flight 1346, which, according to the website FlightAware, arrived at 6:12 a.m. in Phoenix. The incident came after the flight crew asked law enforcement to meet the aircraft. 

In a statement, American Airlines said:

“American had requested law enforcement meet flight 1346 upon arrival in Phoenix due to a disruptive passenger. Once the flight arrived at the gate, the passenger opened one of doors and jumped off the aircraft. Law enforcement and paramedics responded.”

Hannah Johnson, a website developer from Duluth, Minnesota, was a passenger on the flight, headed to Arizona for a weekend escape from the cold weather. She said she was sitting three rows in front of the passenger in question.

She told The Arizona Republic that about an hour into the flight, the man started becoming disruptive by swearing and acting aggressive to the other passengers on the flight. Flight attendants tried to move him and also tried to calm him down, but Johnson said he still tried to stand up just minutes before the flight was supposed to land.

Johnson said once the flight landed, flight attendants asked passengers to stay seated as law enforcement met the flight. "Once stopped, he tried to make a run for it hitting various passengers, including me," Johnson wrote. 

Johnson shared the video above that she took after leaving the plane.

In a statement, Phoenix Police said they were called to Terminal 4 on a report that a 25-year-old man had been acting strange on the flight, randomly touching the faces of other passengers. He also reportedly sprayed something from a bottle on them. Upon landing, he was brought to the front of the plane to exit first. 

According to a statement from Phoenix Police" 

"While waiting for the door to the jet way to open, the man opened the service door on the opposite side of the aircraft and jumped out. He landed on the ground approximately 10 feet below, sustaining minor injuries. Workers at the airport stopped the man, and he was taken into custody by Phoenix Police officers without incident. He was transported to a local hospital to be treated for his injuries."

Police did not identify the man, and passengers reportedly declined to press charges. The man could still face trespassing charges for the incident. 

 

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