A Delta Airlines flight was forced to return to Houston shortly after take-off due to a passenger's “unruly and unlawful behaviour,” according to officials. Flight 2557 departed from William P. Hobby Airport bound for Atlanta around 5:30am on Wednesday before declaring an emergency and turning back.
Upon landing, the aircraft was met by law enforcement. Houston police initially said they had received a report that a passenger attempted to breach the cockpit, but Delta subsequently clarified that the individual approached crew members and other travellers without attempting to access the flight deck. In a statement, Delta said: “The safety of our customers and crew is paramount, and Delta has zero tolerance for unruly behaviour. We apologise to our customers for this experience and delay in their travels.”
One passenger, Josh Lamas, told 11Alive that he was assaulted during the incident. “I'm just sitting there, and a guy walks aggressively by me and aggressively back, and he bumps into my shoulder and starts wailing on my head. He punched me three times and then walked back and then started attacking another gentleman behind me,” he said. Lamas added that he did not know the man and believed he was experiencing mental health-related issues, noting that the individual began screaming “like in tongues.”
Video obtained by 11Alive appeared to show other passengers detaining the disruptive individual before the plane landed. Houston police said the passenger was removed from the aircraft and may have been experiencing a mental health issue. Lamas said he waited about two hours for the flight to resume its journey to Atlanta, during which time he had his head evaluated, and he plans to press charges.
The unruly passenger has not been identified, and it was not immediately clear whether they will face charges. The Federal Aviation Administration has launched an investigation into the incident.
