Boxer's Entourage Flying to His Fight Springs Into Action After Man Tries to Open Door Mid-Flight
British boxer Dillian Whyte may be the fighter in his family, but his brother Dean Whyte was ready for the fight of his life this week when a man on their British Airways flight tried to open an exit door while they were in the air.
While Dillian and Dean were on BA Flight 263 Monday night, a passenger, who was believed to be having a panic attack, tried to pull the lever on a door at the back of the plane while screaming “I want to get out,” according to The Guardian. The aircraft was reportedly about an hour away from its destination in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Dean, who was sitting in the economy section, was alerted of the commotion when several passengers and flight attendants tried to remove the man away from the door, according to the outlet.
Dean sprang into action and was able to stop the man from pulling on the door lever by grabbing the distraught flyer in a bearhug, pulling him away while repeatedly saying, “Calm down, bruv,” he told The Guardian.
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“It was like something out of a movie. When I got there he was shouting ‘I want to get out’ in broken English,” he told The Guardian. “I managed to grab him and was preparing to slam him hard if necessary but myself and the steward could see he wasn’t quite right in the head so I held him and tried to calm him down. Eventually, it worked.”
A spokesperson for British Airways told PEOPLE that the distraught passenger, fortunately, did not have to be restrained and after being calmed down and he returned to his seat, where he remained for the rest of the flight.
Authorities were not called when the plane landed, the airline confirmed.
Dean was traveling to Saudi Arabia for his brother’s fight on the undercard of boxer Anthony Joshua’s rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr.
Dillian was also on the plane, though the athlete was sitting towards the front of the aircraft, Dean told Sky Sports.
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“I was complaining about being in economy,” he said in an interview with the sports network. “But luckily, I was there for a reason. I managed to intervene and kind of help the situation.”
British Airways told PEOPLE it was impossible for an aircraft door to open in flight. A statement from the airline read: “Our cabin crew cared for a customer who suffered from a panic attack during the flight. We are sorry for any concern this caused our customers.”
