A flight on low-cost air carrier Breeze Airways had to be diverted after a passenger who threatened flight attendants with a skateboard broke restraints twice during the flight.
According to USA TODAY, Flight 704 was heading from Los Angeles to Virginia when a drunk 46-year-old passenger from Los Angeles began yelling “racist slurs” at flight attendants around 9:00 a.m. on August 13.
Flight attendants managed to restrain the man, but he broke out of his restraints twice, prompting the pilots to make an emergency landing in Grand Junction, Colorado, where the Grand Junction Police arrested the man at approximately 11:00 a.m.
According to the police department’s Facebook post on the matter, no injuries were reported, and the man, though he waved around a skateboard as if intending to hurt the flight attendants, did not physically assault anyone. He has not yet been charged with a crime.
The man could face federal charges, however, as most crimes in the air are charged as federal crimes. Beyond time in prison, those who commit crimes in the air can be fined up to $37,000 or be put on the no-fly list. The FBI is now in control of the case.
The flight was delayed while a new crew was brought in, and departed from Colorado at around 6:00 p.m., arriving several hours behind schedule in Los Angeles at around 7:00 p.m.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
