Latest news with #GrandJunctionPolice
CBS News
4 days ago
- CBS News
Unruly passenger facing charges after disruption causes flight to divert to Colorado, FBI says
A man is facing federal charges after he allegedly became unruly on a flight, causing the aircraft to divert to Colorado. According to the Grand Junction Police Department, David Leroy Carver Jr. was on a flight from Norfolk to Los Angeles on Wednesday when he became drunk and began shouting racial slurs at the staff. Although the flight crew put him in restraints twice, authorities said he was able to break free. Ultimately, two passengers on the flight were able to restrain him until police could take Carver into custody. The airline reported that a flight attendant and a passenger suffered minor injuries during the incident. After the plane landed, the Grand Junction Police Department, at the direction of the FBI, took Carver into custody. On Thursday, the FBI Denver office announced that federal charges have been filed against Carver in connection with the incident. The case is sealed, and more information on those charges is not yet available.
News.com.au
4 days ago
- News.com.au
Drunk passenger forces emergency landing
A drunk passenger allegedly spewed racial slurs at staff, broke out of restraints twice and aggressively waved a skateboard around, eventually forcing an emergency landing on board an LA-bound flight. David Leroy Carter, a 46-year-old Los Angeles resident, was taken into custody by Colorado police on Wednesday afternoon after he 'became agitated' four hours into his flight out of Norfolk, Virginia, according to NBC Los Angeles. The man was on-board US budget airline, Breeze Airways. The Grand Junction Police Department said airline staff had placed the 'intoxicated' passenger in restraints twice during the flight, but 'he managed to break free both times' during his profanity-laced tirade. Breeze Flight MX704 was diverted to Grand Junction Airport in Colorado, according to FlightAware. Upon landing, Carter was arrested and booked into the Mesa County Detention Facility. 'This is an ongoing investigation and any further information and charges will be released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation,' the department wrote in a statement. Startling footage of the midair chaos posted to TikTok shows a flight attendant appearing to try to restrain Carter with plastic zip-ties, only for him to push past and stand face-to-face with the worker. 'That's the last thing you're going to do to me,' he's heard telling the flight attendant. 'Stop! You need to sit down!' she demanded while Carter smirked and replied, 'No, ma'am.' The flight attendant asked other passengers and workers to help her 'get control' of the situation and help restrain Carter. Seconds later, a large man in a white T-shirt walks over to Carter, towering over him. The flyer picks up Carter under the arms with ease, carries him like a child through the plane's aisle and plants him down in his seat. 'Sit your ass down,' the good Samaritan scolds. Police reported no injuries during the midair bedlam, but Breeze Airways told NBC Los Angeles that 'one flight attendant and one guest were evaluated for minor injuries'. 'Our focus now is on taking care of our Crew and remaining Guests who have been unfairly inconvenienced by this unfortunate event and getting them safely to their final destination as quickly as possible,' the airline said. The FBI said charges will be submitted to the US Attorney's Office for Colorado, but did not share what charges Carter is facing. The Post has reached out to the FBI and Breeze Airways for comment.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Daily Mail
Man yelled racist abuse and lashed out with his belt before being arrested on LA-bound flight
A Los Angeles-bound flight was forced to make an emergency landing when a belligerent passenger started yelling racial slurs and striking others on board with his 'waist belt.' Breeze Airways Flight MX704 broke out in chaos in the middle of its journey from Norfolk, Virginia, to the California hot spot on Wednesday. The flight had to divert to Grand Junction Regional Airport in Colorado because of the violent outburst. A drunken man started screaming and acting violently towards flight attendants and other travelers, the Grand Junction Police Department said in a statement. He was allegedly 'yelling racist slurs at airline staff while waving a skateboard,' police told the outlet. The culprit, whose name has not been publicly released, was restrained twice as the staff urgently arranged for the emergency landing and notified local police of the situation. But he managed to break free - this time using a 'waist belt' to whack anyone trying to stop his reign of terror. Other passengers reportedly had to hold him down until the plane landed. Audio from Air Traffic Controllers obtained by 13 News Now indicates the belt he used to attack his fellow passengers was one of the restraints he broke out of. 'Approach said that the passenger is free and he's using what they are trying to restrain him with as a weapon,' they noted. The operator responding on the ground responded: 'Hitting people with his own waist belt, right?' 'Belt, yes sir,' the flight employee responded. It is not immediately clear if this belt was one of his restraints or if it was one he was wearing. The Daily Mail has reached out to the airline of comment and clarification. When the plane finally landed, Grand Junction Police swarmed the plane to take the attacker into custody. Footage captured by one of the terrified passengers on board the flight from hell shows the aggravated perpetrator being escorted down the aisle by police officers as he was handcuffed. The police department said that there were no reported injuries. But the airline told NBC 4 a flight attendant and a guest were evaluated for minor injuries. They said: 'Our focus now is on taking care of our Crew and remaining Guests who have been unfairly inconvenienced by this unfortunate event and getting them safely to their final destination as quickly as possible.' According to the FlightAware tracker, the flight from Grand Junction to Los Angeles was rescheduled for just after 6:15pm local time. The investigation is ongoing and charges will be handled by the FBI, the department said in its statement.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Flight diverted after skateboard-waving drunk passenger yelled racial slurs, police say
A Los Angeles-bound flight was diverted to Colorado after a drunk passenger started yelling racist slurs while waving around a skateboard, police said. Breeze Airlines flight MX704 — flying from Norfolk, Virginia to Los Angeles — landed in Grand Junction Airport in Colorado around 11.15 a.m. Wednesday after an intoxicated male passenger 'became agitated, yelling racist slurs at airline staff while waving a skateboard,' Grand Junction Police said. Airline staff put the passenger in restraints twice but he was able to break free both times. He didn't physically assault anyone and no injuries were reported, police said. When the flight touched down, police were called to assist with an 'unruly passenger,' authorities said. The man was then taken into custody at the direction of the FBI and transported to the Mesa County Detention Facility. David Leroy Carter Jr., 46, of Los Angeles, was arrested, the FBI told The Independent. It's not immediately clear what charges he may face. The U.S. Attorney's Office for Colorado would announce the charges at an appropriate time, the agency said. The investigation into the incident is ongoing, according to police. The Independent has asked the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office for more information. 'The plane was met promptly by local law enforcement officers, who restrained and removed the passenger from the aircraft,' Breeze Airways said in a statement. The flight was delayed in Grand Junction while a new crew was brought in to fly the remaining passengers to LAX, the airline said. The passengers arrived at their final destination around 7.15 p.m. local time. This year, there have been reports of more than 1,000 unruly passengers, according to data from the Federal Aviation Administration. That figure marks a dramatic drop from 2021, when the FAA received a whopping 5,973 reports of unruly passengers.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Daily Mail
Flight to LA diverted when passenger starts attacking fellow travelers with a 'waist belt'
A Los Angeles -bound flight was forced to make an emergency landing when a belligerent passenger started yelling racial slurs and striking others on board with his 'waist belt.' Breeze Airways Flight MX704 broke out in chaos in the middle of its journey from Norfolk, Virginia, to the California hot spot on Wednesday. The flight had to divert to Grand Junction Regional Airport in Colorado because of the violent outburst. A drunken man started screaming and acting violently towards flight attendants and other travelers, the Grand Junction Police Department said in a statement. He was allegedly 'yelling racist slurs at airline staff while waving a skateboard,' police told the outlet. The culprit, whose name has not been publicly released, was restrained twice as the staff urgently arranged for the emergency landing and notified local police of the situation. But he managed to break free - this time using a 'waist belt' to whack anyone trying to stop his reign of terror. Other passengers reportedly had to hold him down until the plane landed. Audio from Air Traffic Controllers obtained by 13 News Now indicates the belt he used to attack his fellow passengers was one of the restraints he broke out of. 'Approach said that the passenger is free and he's using what they are trying to restrain him with as a weapon,' they noted. The operator responding on the ground responded: 'Hitting people with his own waist belt, right?' 'Belt, yes sir,' the flight employee responded. It is not immediately clear if this belt was one of his restraints or if it was one he was wearing. The Daily Mail has reached out to the airline of comment and clarification. When the plane finally landed, Grand Junction Police swarmed the plane to take the attacker into custody. Footage captured by one of the terrified passengers on board the flight from hell shows the aggravated perpetrator being escorted down the aisle by police officers as he was handcuffed. The police department said that there were no reported injuries. But the airline told NBC 4 a flight attendant and a guest were evaluated for minor injuries. 'Our focus now is on taking care of our Crew and remaining Guests who have been unfairly inconvenienced by this unfortunate event and getting them safely to their final destination as quickly as possible.' The police department released a statement on the Wednesday incident According to the FlightAware tracker, the flight from Grand Junction to Los Angeles was rescheduled for just after 6:15pm local time. The trip to their destination is expected to take about an hour and a half. The Daily Mail has reached out to Grand Junction police for comment. The investigation is ongoing and charges will be handled by the FBI, the department said in its statement. There have been 1,007 unruly passenger reports since the start of the year, according to the FAA. 'Incidents where airline passengers have disrupted flights with threatening or violent behavior are an ongoing problem and airlines have seen rapid growth in occurrences since 2021,' the agency wrote. In 2021, the FAA saw a record-high number of outrageous incidents and received a staggering 5,973 reports that year.
