An agitated Frontier Airlines passenger opened the cabin door, causing the emergency slide to be deployed as the flight was leaving Cancun for St. Louis on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the airline confirmed to USA Today.
The unnamed man reportedly complained of feeling ill as the plane was preparing for takeoff, forcing the flight to return to the gate, but he became increasingly agitated and "physically violent" with a flight attendant before attempting to exit the aircraft.
Kathleen Ingham was aboard the flight when the incident occurred and said it was frightening and disturbing to see, according to KTVI.
The passenger was traveling with his father, and the two men were allegedly attacked the night before inside a Cancun hotel.
The man's mother said she believed her son's drink may have been spiked, which resulted in his behavior, KTVI said.
The Frontier Airlines spokesperson explained to USA Today that the man was restrained by crew members and passengers and escorted from the plane.
Video footage posted to Twitter shows his father consoling him on the runway in front of a police vehicle.
He was taken for medical evaluation and remains in a Mexico hospital, according to KTVI.
The plane had to undergo maintenance checks following the emergency slide's deployment, and the airline was forced to book passengers onto other flights and provide them with hotel accommodations.
"We understand that unexpected delays are frustrating and work to get our passengers to their destinations as soon as circumstances permit," said the Frontier Airlines spokesperson to USA Today.
Earlier this year, another Frontier Airlines passenger caused havoc on a flight from Denver to Charleston, South Carolina, after he urinated on the seat in front of him and grabbed two women.
The man allegedly touched a sleeping passenger. Another passenger identified as Emily said she heard a woman scream.
The man also verbally assaulted another woman by asking her about her sexual and marital life. He was moved to an emptier part of the plane in the same row as Emily, who photographed him peeing on the seat in front of him.
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