A Jetstar passenger who stepped off a flight after allegedly verbally abusing a mother with a baby has broken his silence on the dramatic incident.
Ryan Lachlan Martin, 25, was filmed being dragged from a Gold Coast-bound plane by Australian Federal Police at Sydney’s domestic airport on Saturday morning.
The viral footage shows officers asking Martin – who sported bright orange hair – to get off the flight to talk to them before forcibly removing him when he refused to budge.
Witnesses claim Martin had previously shouted at the mother and threatened to ‘get her’ as the plane landed in Queensland. He has since been charged with endangering the safety of an aircraft.
But the self-styled entrepreneur and DJ claims fellow passengers exaggerated what really happened when commenting online on posts about the incident.
Ryan Lachlan Martin, 25 (pictured right, next to Dutch DJ Armin Van Buuren) has been charged with endangering the safety of an aircraft
Speaking exclusively to Daily Mail Australia, Martin admitted what he said to the woman was ‘along those lines’ but claimed the situation had been ‘completely blown out of proportion’.
When asked how he was doing, Mr. Martin said he was doing better, given the fuss that has erupted in recent days.
He said he did not want to discuss what happened further as his case is now in court.
‘Right now I’m dealing with lawyers and the court. I have a court date. So I’m not going to do any interviews,” he said.
Martin, who lives in the Gold Coast, has a social media page dedicated to his DJ activities, under his stage name ‘MVRTO’, where he also describes himself as an ‘entrepreneur’.
In September last year, he published a post announcing that he had launched a career in the industry and would be playing in an upcoming league.
“Very happy to finally publicly announce that I am entering the QLD 2022 Your Shot DJ competition as a beginner,” he wrote.
Martin created a page dedicated to his music production activities, under the name MVRTO
The aspiring DJ told Daily Mail Australia the situation had been ‘completely blown out of proportion’
The post was one of three promotional items Martin created on the day the account launched. The account, which has 56 followers, has remained inactive since.
However, he has remained active on other social media accounts, where he regularly posts promotional photos for techno music events around the country.
On Monday morning, amid his new legal battle, he shared a throwback photo of himself posing next to famed Dutch DJ Armin Van Buuren — while wearing a shirt with the artist’s name on it.
‘What a moment. A photo with my favorite dance artist.’
In the photo: Martin is dragged off the plane on Saturday
Footage from a fellow passenger shows Martin telling officers, “I didn’t do anything wrong,” as they ask him to get off the plane.
“I’m not going anywhere, I have work on the Gold Coast in six hours,” Martin said.
“Mom, you’re coming,” the officer said, before unbuckling the passenger’s seat belt.
“Take your hands off me, I will get up (alone),” the passenger said as the two officers lifted him up.
‘That’s intimidation. Get off me. I will walk. Get off me.’
As one officer walks backward into the plane path and pulls the man along, the second stands behind him and marches him off the plane while holding the back of his black T-shirt.
The woman who posted the video said the passengers “were all cheering” when Martin got off the flight.
Martin is a fan of electronic music and regularly posts online about upcoming music events
A Jetstar spokesperson said the crew called for police assistance after a passenger reportedly became “increasingly disruptive.”
“The safety of our customers and crew is our first priority and we will not tolerate this type of behavior,” she said.
AFP confirmed in a statement that a 25-year-old male passenger was accused of endangering the safety of an aircraft after being removed from a flight.
“The AFP responded to a report of a male passenger allegedly causing disruption to an aircraft prior to take-off from Sydney Airport yesterday morning,” a spokesperson said.
Martin is due to appear in court on October 9, the location has yet to be determined.
The maximum penalty for endangering the safety of an aircraft is ten years in prison.