A man has been detained at LAX after allegedly opening an emergency exit door on a plane, triggering the emergency slide.
The flight leaving from Los Angeles International Airport and heading to Seattle was still on the tarmac and pushing away from the gate when the incident occurred on Saturday.
A passenger who was on board the flight, Gillian Sheldon, told NBC Los Angeles the accused man “clearly was agitated, or nervous or anxious or freaked out about something”.
The man was not co-operating with the staff and ignoring orders, she claimed.
“She [the flight attendant] looked at him and said ‘you need to go back to your seat,’ and he said ‘what do I do now,’ and turned and grabbed the door.”
The flight attendant told the man that he could not open the door “and grabbed him and within two seconds he opened the door”, Ms Sheldon added.
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‘Unruly passenger’
Delta Airlines confirmed the incident with an “unruly passenger” in a statement and said the man was first detained by Delta staff members before police arrived.
Los Angeles Airport Police Captain Karla Rodriguez also told NBC Los Angeles the FBI have been notified.
Passengers were taken off the plane and moved to another aircraft so they could continue with their journeys, she said.
Ms Rodriguez added that no arrests were made but the man was “transported to a local hospital for a mental evaluation”.
