A drunk Southwest passenger had to be tackled and zip-tied to a seat, and the flight held at the gate in Las Vegas until police arrived, after the man ran back onto the plane after being kicked off.
Southwest Airlines said the "unruly" passenger appeared to be under the influence of alcohol prior to the 7:30 p.m. incident at McCarran International Airport, noted CBS News. Flight 3630 was headed for Chicago from Las Vegas.
Cellphone video shows an airline employee tackling the man to the ground and then him being zip-tied to a seat until police showed up.
Stephan Kennedy, 28, who faces misdemeanor charges, said Travel Pulse, had gone to the restroom when airline employees initially tried to remove him from the plane, said CBS.
"He was already boarded, and he went into the bathroom, and they just told us they were trying to get him out of the bathroom, and they took him off the plane," said passenger Rick Alonzo. "Next thing you know, he tried to fight his way back on, and that's when the Southwest guys came and got him."
"He was violently getting back on the plane, like pushing people, so one of the guards tackled him in front of my feet," passenger Molly O'Malley said. "He was acting very inappropriate."
Another passenger applauded the crew for how they collectively handled the situation.
"The crew did handle it in a respective way, but it was very scary, and as someone who does fly often, I felt unsafe at first, but at the end of it, they figured it out," said Alyssa Bergamini.
The airline gave a statement to CBS Chicago pertaining to the matter.
“A Southwest passenger who appeared to be intoxicated was asked to deplane flight 3630 before departing Las Vegas McCarran International Airport for Chicago Midway Airport," the statement said. "The passenger became unruly and our employees utilized their training to manage the situation until local law enforcement could assist with removing the passenger from the flight."
"Our employees are trained to deny boarding to passengers who appear to be intoxicated, as well as to address passengers who become unruly and/or create a disturbance in flight," the statement continued.
According to Travel Pulse, despite the delay caused by the incident, the flight landed in Chicago at Midway Airport just an hour after it was originally scheduled to get there.
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