‘Assaultive passenger’ on American Airlines flight forces an emergency landing
Passengers onboard a Dallas, Texas bound American Airlines flight were cheering when police arrived to arrest an unruly passenger who forced an emergency landing in Oklahoma City.
According to a police report obtained by Yahoo Lifestyle, Oklahoma City Police Department Airport Dispatch received a call from the Sunday flight that departed from Pittsburgh, Penn., warning them of an emergency landing at Will Rogers World Airport due to an “assaultive passenger.” The passenger, who has since been identified as 32-year-old Brandon Ganus from Weatherford, Texas, was allegedly so disruptive that flight attendants had already restrained him with plastic zip ties and duct tape before deputies came aboard to arrest him.
A flight attendant told Oklahoma outlet News 9 that she tried to hydrate the passenger with bottles of water to sober him up during the flight. However, it was a failed attempt.
“He tried exiting out of the front door and then we stopped him, so he went back to his seat. And that’s when we turned all of the lights to bright,” she said. “And then at one point him and the person who was like sitting next to him, they got into a brawl.”
An arresting officer provided details of Ganus’s level of inebriation in the report.
“Ganus exhibited red watery eyes, slurred speech and an odor of alcoholic beverage so overpowering that I easily detected it long before I reached him,” the report reads.
Officers noted that they were able to maneuver Ganus off of the plane without further incident. But as they walked through the airport, he became “extremely agitated and moved into more active resistance.” He even started using “a variety of colorful obscenities” while yelling at the two officers.
Eventually, officers restrained Ganus into a wheelchair, in order to transport him to the police office. From there, he was taken to the Oklahoma County Jail and booked on charges of public intoxication, disorderly conduct, assault and battery, and resisting arrest. He has since been released on bond.
American Airlines provided the following statement to Yahoo Lifestyle:
“On Sunday, June 16, American Airlines flight 2480 from Pittsburgh to Dallas/Fort Worth diverted to Oklahoma City due to a disruptive passenger. The flight landed safely at 11:31 p.m. CT and taxied to the gate. The 32-year-old male passenger deplaned, and was subsequently arrested by law enforcement. You will need to contact law enforcement for additional details. The flight re-departed for Dallas/Fort Worth at 12:24 a.m. CT.”
The statement continued, “We want to thank our crew, along with some of the customers, who assisted during this situation.”
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