A Delta Air Lines co-pilot was escorted from the cockpit of an airplane and arrested on the night of July 26 by local law enforcement and Homeland Security, prompting questions for those who witnessed the incident.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the pilot was co-piloting DL2809 from Minneapolis to San Francisco. The flight had just landed after a delayed approach due to fog at around 9:35 p.m. when law enforcement agents boarded the plane and went straight for the cockpit.
A passenger witness in first class counted at least ten law enforcement officers, including those identifying as air marshals and agents from the Homeland Security Investigations San Francisco. They arrested the co-pilot and escorted him out of the plane, then another team collected his belongings.
The passenger described the incident as “shocking and unnerving.”
A short video of his escort out of the cockpit was shared with A View From the Wing.
According to the passenger witness, the remaining pilot seemed shocked at the incident and told passengers he had “no idea what just happened.”
The co-pilot’s name has not been released, and neither has the reason behind his arrest. It is unclear if he is being detained for his immigration status, as many have by ICE in recent months. NPR reports that there are some 56,000 individuals being held in detainment centers across the nation.
The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office didn’t release any information, other than Homeland Security was aiding the sheriff’s office in executing an arrest warrant.
A correspondent from FOX News cited a “senior federal source” and accused the pilot of crimes against children in a social media post, but no source has since verified that information.
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