A Delta flight was forced to return to Houston Hobby early Wednesday morning after a passenger allegedly attempted to force their way into the cockpit.
Houston police said they received a call around 5:30 a.m. local time about a disturbance on the flight, which had just taken off for Atlanta. Officers went to Gate 32 at the airport and detained the passenger when the flight returned.
KHOU-TV in Houston was first to report the incident. The station’s camera crew observed a man being led out of the airport in handcuffs shortly after the flight returned but could not confirm if it was the person who caused the disturbance.
It was not immediately clear what charges the suspect is facing, if any.
CNN reported Wednesday that a pilot told air traffic controllers that the individual got up from their seat and attempted to “access the cockpit.”
But Delta appeared to refute that detail, saying in a statement that the passenger exhibited “unruly and unlawful behavior toward other customers” but did not get near or attempt to enter the flight deck.
The airline said the incident happened on board a Boeing 717 carrying 85 passengers and five crew.
“The safety of our customers and crew is paramount, and Delta has zero tolerance for unruly behavior,” the carrier added. “We apologize to our customers for this experience and delay in their travels.”
