- An unruly passenger was removed from a Spirit Airlines flight in Colombia bound for Fort Lauderdale, Florida and arrested for assaulting a police officer
- The man, whose name was not released, was seen on video swearing at passengers before getting into a fistfight with two officers
- Colombian authorities said the individual's changed behavior was likely related to alcohol after an ongoing battle for custody of a child
A Polish man is under arrest in Colombia after punching a police officer while being removed from a Spirit Airlines flight for allegedly drinking too much booze.
Footage released by police showed the passenger, who also has a residence in the US, exchanging barbs with fellow customers. Flight 239 bound for Fort Lauderdale, Florida was waiting to leave the gate at Ernesto Cortissoz International Airport in Barranquilla on Sunday.
The man, whose name has not been released, was heard shouting “f**k you, b****h” at another passenger as he was escorted by a flight attendant and two officers.
He released another F-bomb and stopped in the middle of the plane to berate another passenger, telling them, “You wish you were in the United States.”
One of the officers then pushed him forward before punching the officer and repeatedly telling him, “I hate you.”
An American passenger was arrested Sunday for assaulting a police officer on a Spirit Airlines plane at Ernesto Cortissoz International Airport in Barranquilla.
The passenger, whose name has not been released, was seen on video berating fellow Spirit Airlines customers as he was removed from the flight to Fort Lauderdale before repeatedly punching a police officer.
The enraged man continued to attack the police officer before falling onto a row of seats and being pushed to the front of the plane, where he was wrestled to the ground and removed.
“This man is being prosecuted for the crime against a public official and in the coming hours he will be made available to the competent authorities,” Colombian Police General Jorge Urquijo said. Blu-Radio.
The passenger's behavior, Urquijo said, was attributed to an ongoing custody battle with his son's mother, who currently lives in Colombia.
Urquijo said the court's ruling was not in his favor “and according to preliminary information, it would have led to his state of alteration in combination with alcohol consumption.” We have no criminal record.'
A Spirit Airlines crew member was escorting an unruly passenger before the flight was scheduled to depart Barranquilla, Colombia, on Sunday when the man suddenly lost his temper, swore at other passengers and got into a fistfight with police
Spirit Airlines told DailyMail.com in a statement that the passenger was no longer allowed to fly its plane.
“We will not tolerate any form of aggressive behavior and this passenger is no longer welcome on our flights. We will provide all necessary assistance to the relevant authorities in investigating this matter. For comments.'
According to the FAA's annual year-end data, the number of unruly passenger reports has dropped significantly from the record high two years ago.
In the week ending December 10, 2023 saw 1,960 unruly passenger incidents recorded. For comparison: 5,973 were registered in 2021 and 2,455 in 2022.
“The number of unruly passenger incidents has steadily declined by more than 80 percent since record highs in early 2021, but recent increases show there is still more work to be done,” the FAA said.
Passengers can be fined up to $37,000 per violation, although multiple fines can be imposed for a single incident.