Man Detained At MIA After Forcing His Way Onto American Airlines Flight
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A passenger at Miami International Airport was detained early Monday morning and it was caught on video after he tried to force his way onto a plane.
According to American Airlines, during the boarding process of Flight 1060 from Miami to Newark, a ticketed passenger ran on the jetbridge, bypassing the gate agent.
A passenger who was getting ready to board took video of the man being taken into custody in the terminal after he was removed from the plane and posted it on his Twitter account.
Ari Teman told CBS4's Peter D'Oench, "This guy ran on the flight and he started shouting that it was his plane and that he was from the F.B.I. And everyone started standing up to watch and they were blocking the aisle and then they called for security and he was dragged off the plane. It looked like he was faking, like he was having a schizophrenic episode. He was acting like a toddler having a fake tantrum. It was too far under control. Then the captain got on the loudspeaker and said he thought the guy was a decoy and so they are going to deplane and check everything."
"So that was it," said Teman. "When he said he's a decoy I said that's it I am done with this plane. I will take another flight to Newark."
A statement from the airline reads: "During the boarding process of American Airlines flight 1060 from Miami to Newark, a ticketed passenger for that flight ran on the jetbridge, bypassing the gate agent. Law enforcement was summoned, who removed the passenger."
Another passenger on the plane took video of the man yelling as he tried to board the plane.
A passenger whose first name is Aisha said. "There was a man in front of me who was sweating. Then he came flying past me and he was sprinting. Then he tried to get past the gate and get on the plane and he was being screamed at by passengers. And then a flight attendant started screaming don't let him on. Don't let him on. It took 5 guys to take this guy into custody. It was quite a scene. He got up on the seats next to me. Imagine. It was about 6 in the morning and this was just wild."
The man was detained under the Baker Act and taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital for a medical evaluation.
Everyone was taken off the flight due to some comments he made. The plane underwent a security sweep and passengers were allowed to board again.
The plane left at 10:17 a.m. about three and a half hours later then scheduled.
Miami-Dade Police Detective Alvaro Zabaleta told D'Oench that the man who was not being identified would be given an involuntary examination under the Baker Act and could be held for up to 72 hours at the hospital.
"I am glad our officers were able to defuse the situation through their actions," said Zabaleta. "It ended well. This could have worse."
Teman agreed with Zabaleta.
"Considering how crazy it was," he said. "The police acted very professionally and I am glad it ended well."
