Houston police detained a passenger at Hobby Airport who was accused of causing an incident on board a Delta flight.
HOUSTON — Houston police responded early Wednesday at William P. Hobby Airport after a reported disturbance involving a passenger on a Delta Air Lines flight bound for Atlanta.
According to the Houston Police Department watch command, officers received a call at 5:38 a.m. about a passenger who was reportedly trying to breach the cockpit aboard a Delta plane. Police said the aircraft had departed Hobby and was in the air for a short time before turning around and returning to the airport. As the plane was pulling into Gate 32, officers responded and went directly to the gate.
HPD confirmed that a suspect was taken into custody. KHOU 11 crews at the airport saw a man being led out of the terminal in handcuffs shortly before that confirmation. Authorities have not confirmed whether that individual was the passenger involved in the reported disturbance.
In a statement, Delta identified the flight as Delta Flight 2557 from Houston Hobby to Atlanta. The airline said the aircraft, a Boeing 717, was carrying 85 passengers and five crew members.
According to a Delta spokesperson, the flight took off around 5:25 a.m. local time and returned to Hobby shortly after departure due to a customer exhibiting “unruly and unlawful behavior toward other customers.” Delta said the customer approached crew members and other passengers but did not make contact with or attempt to access the flight deck.
KHOU 11 reporter Julissa Garza was the only crew at the airport when the incident unfolded and arrived on scene shortly after the initial response. Crews observed a heavy police presence, including a vehicle displaying the Department of Homeland Security seal.
“The safety of our customers and crew is paramount, and Delta has zero tolerance for unruly behavior,” the airline said in a statement. “We apologize to our customers for this experience and delay in their travels.”
HPD has not released details about the passenger or said whether charges are expected. Delta said it will defer further comment to law enforcement.
Passenger recalls situation
Our sister station in Atlanta, 11Alive, spoke to a man who said he was on the flight and was assaulted by the unruly passenger.
“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,” Josh Lamas said. “He punched me three times and then walked back and then started attacking another gentleman behind me.”
Lamas said it happened about 30 minutes into the flight.
Delta officials said the passenger didn’t make contact with or try to access the cockpit, but Lamas said he was looking for the plane’s captain.
“So, I saw that from the stewardess side that they said he was trying to enter,” Lamas said. “He asked for the captain, and then he just walked aggressively back. And then after that, nothing happened.”
Lamas said he didn’t know the man and his behavior led him to believe he was having some kind of mental episode.
“Never seen the gentleman in my life,” said Lamas. “He started screaming at the guy behind me, and kind of like in tongues. And then everyone assumed that he was just kind of not mentally there.”
Lamas said several passengers took matters into their own hands and banded together to restrain him. He said once they approached him, he started freaking out, but the passengers were able to de-escalate the situation.
Once the plane arrived at the Houston airport, law enforcement was waiting and took the passenger causing the disturbance into custody. 11Alive obtained exclusive video of the possible suspect involved in the incident.
Lamas said it took about two hours after getting back to the airport for the flight to take off again. He had his head wounds evaluated, and said he plans to press charges.
Got a news tip or story idea? Email us at newstips@khou.com or call 713-521-4310 and include the best way to reach you.