Alaska Airlines Flight 422 has been turned back shortly after departing Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, after a passenger threatened to “kill everyone on board”.
The plane, which departed on Saturday at 11:10pm bound for Chicago O’Hare, was still in ascent phase when the passenger became belligerent.
A spokesperson for the airline said that the passenger became “physically aggressive” about 20 minutes into the flight.
The Seattle Times reported that the passenger paced up and down the aircraft’s aisle, yelling, “I’m going to kill everybody on this plane. Die in the name of Jesus!”
Passenger footage circulating on social media captures the breakdown.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SypV_9TolsE
The man was subdued by flight crew and two passengers, including an off-duty police officer, the spokesperson said. No passengers were injured during the incident.
Upon deplaning, the man was taken into custody by Port of Seattle Police and booked into King County Jail for harassment.
Alaska cancelled the servicer and rebooked all passengers on the next available trip to Chicago.
