Milwaukee-Dallas flight 'disruptive' passenger arrested
MILWAUKEE - Passengers described harrowing minutes on board a flight from Milwaukee to Dallas-Fort Worth, when they said a passenger tried opening the airplane's main cabin door. Passengers rushed to protect the plane, the crew and other passengers by tackling the man, pinning him to the ground and taping his hands and feet.
These are new details on American Airlines flight 1915's disturbance and arrest on Nov. 20, a story FOX6 News was first to report.
FOX6 News spoke to three people who said they subdued the Canadian man.
"He says, ‘I’m getting off this plane, I gotta get off,’" said Doug McCright, who lives in the Dallas area. "We’re 30,000 feet in the air, going 300-plus mph – nobody’s getting off this plane right now."
Doug McCright
McCright said he was in the front row, watching a flight attendant interacting with a man.
"She had her hand behind her back, and she was signaling that she needed help," he said. "The guy's like 6'3", probably, 6'4", so I was behind him then, and I grabbed him, pulled him back, so he couldn’t reach the handle on the door."
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android.
Charlie Boris of Wisconsin said he saw the commotion aboard the plane and ran to help, too.
"The flight attendant that was heading back told me that he was trying to open the door, and that’s when I kind of went all in," he said. "Initially, I just saw a commotion and thought it was possibly medical or something, and pretty quickly realized that it wasn’t, and just ran up there. There was a gentleman that was being restrained and kind of fought with to get on the ground.
"It was kind of a fight-or-flight situation, and everyone just really helped and put together effort."
Charlie Boris
"We all got on him and took him right down to the ground," added McCright.
The Dallas Fort Worth International Airport Police Department police report said the man rushed the flight attendant to get to the cabin door. A flight attendant reported her wrist and neck were injured.
"There was a minute or two there, where it was just chaos," said McCright. "I must have caught an elbow in the mouth there at one point in it, but all you're concerned about is, ‘You got to stop this. You have to stop this.’"
Others also jumped up to stop it.
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport
"I looked up, and there were a number of more people in the aisle, right there," said McCright. "If they were needed, they were there. And to me, that’s so inspiring to think that you have these people – I mean, they are patriots."
Passengers used the airline's restraint tape to tape the man's feet and arms and then held him down for the rest of the flight.
"One of us was just essentially stationed blocking the pilot’s door," said Boris. "Myself and the other individual had him in kind of in a hog-tie position, holding him."
The plane landed safely in Dallas where FBI agents and airport police were waiting. Police said they took the man into custody and sent him for an evaluation. The police report says the man is from Canada. Since he's not charged, FOX6 News is not naming him.
The flight attendant, who the police report said was injured, went to the hospital and was released the same day.
"It was crazy, and I think afterward, after it was all done, that’s when you start thinking about, wow, you’re processing what happened and what could have happened. It’s great that everyone’s safe, and we get to see our loved ones, and we can all go to Thanksgiving," said Boris.
Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport
Official statements
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport Police Department
DFW Airport Department of Public Safety police officers responded to arriving American Airlines flight 1915 on a report of a disruptive passenger on board. Officers took one person into custody, and the investigation is ongoing.
American Airlines
"American Airlines flight 1915 with service from Milwaukee (MKE) to Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) was met by law enforcement upon arrival at DFW due to a disruptive customer. The safety and security of our customers and team members is our top priority and we thank our team members and customers for managing a difficult situation."
Editor's note: A previous version of this story stated a Milwaukee man was arrested. It was corrected to reflect that the man was a Canadian citizen on a flight from Milwaukee.