A commercial jet en route from Arizona to Minnesota was forced to land early in Denver after an unruly passenger, who claimed he was on cocaine, lit up a joint in the middle of the coach cabin.
On Friday, the pilot of the grounded American Airlines flight announced an hour into the flight that “a security issue in the back” necessitated an emergency landing at Denver International Airport. According to passengers, a shady man in the cabin had told others he was on cocaine, which led to them reporting his behavior to the airplane staff.
Just after the emergency landing announcement, the man disappeared into the flight’s bathroom for ten minutes. After reemerging from the bathroom, some of the passengers reported that he appeared “very jittery,” according to TMZ. Upon safely landing, the pilot asked all passengers in the first 13 rows to clear out so the man could be removed, and airline personnel, EMTs, and local police arrived then to confront him. That’s when shit really popped off.
The man, whose name has not been released, refused to leave his seat. Instead, he allegedly pulled out a joint and attempted to spark it up — right before everyone’s eyes. A small scuffle ensued, which included staff and emergency personnel struggling to take the joint from the man, as well as the man punching a random passenger while exiting the plane.
After being removed, police promptly cuffed the man for questioning. Video was taken that shows the man struggling with the cuffs while screaming at the EMTs and police, “Take it off, it hurts. I’ll fucking kill you!”
Gallery — Photos of Cops Smoking Weed:
Two hours after his removal, the plane reboarded and continued its flight to Minneapolis, Fox News reported. No one was harmed during the incident. A representative from American Airlines said that the man was ultimately hospitalized, but no criminal charges were made, and he was released from the hospital shortly after.
The maximum fine issued by the FAA for smoking on a commercial flight is $25,000. However, that amount is rarely enforced, especially for first-time offenders. Most in-flight smoking violations usually only cost the offender less than $50, and jail time only gets dished out to repeat offenders.
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