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A Delta Air Lines flight had to return to the William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) on Wednesday, just 10 minutes after departure due to an unruly passenger.
The Boeing 717-200, acting as JetBlue flight DL2557, departed HOU for the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport (ATL) around 5:25 a.m. The pilot declared an emergency by squawking code 7700 about 10 minutes into the flight and returned at about 5:40 a.m., according to Paddle Your Own Kanoo. Code 7700 is the transponder code used to signal an urgent situation. Initial reports stated that a passenger had attempted to breach the cockpit, with one account stating the individual attempted to ram the cockpit door and assaulted another passenger before being subdued by crew and fellow travelers, according to AVSN.
Atlanta resident Josh Lemastus told 11Alive that he was the one assaulted and that he had never seen the man before. He claimed that the man punched him three times in the head before attacking the person behind him. He further stated that the passenger had asked to see the captain and was behaving erratically beforehand. Other passengers on the flight intervened following the assault and restrained the suspect.
"Never seen the gentleman in my life," said Lemastus. "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."
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A Delta spokesperson stated that the customer did not make contact with or attempt to access the flight deck, according to KHOU11. Houston Police were already on the scene by the time the aircraft arrived on the scene and took the passenger into custody. A man was seen being led out of the terminal in handcuffs, but it is unconfirmed that he was the passenger involved.
"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."
The incident prompted a temporary shutdown at the airport as law enforcement secured the area, according to the Bulkhead Seat. The heavy police presence included a vehicle displaying the Department of Homeland Security seal. The flight was able to eventually leave again and landed at ATL with no further accidents. Lemastus was able to have his head wounds evaluated, and said he plans to press charges.