Passenger on Delta flight restrained after altercation with multiple people near front of plane, video shows

Updated: Jun 12, 2021 / 06:00 PM CDT

The Delta flight (not pictured) was diverted after an unruly passenger began fighting with the flight crew who tried to stop him from making announcements over the loudspeaker, Delta said. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

(NEXSTAR) – A Delta Air Lines flight from Los Angeles to Atlanta was diverted to Oklahoma City on Friday night after an unruly passenger began trying to make announcements over the plane’s loudspeaker, the airline said.

Footage shared to Twitter by one of the plane’s passengers appears to show the man wrestling with several other people — both passengers and crew members — near the cabin door of the plane. The clip ends as he is pulled away from the area and restrained in the aisle.

A Delta spokesperson has since confirmed that the unruly passenger began fighting with the flight crew after an attendant tried to stop him from making the announcements.

The passenger who shared the video to Twitter had initially described the incident as a “hijacking” before claiming that the unruly passenger was “trying to open the door to the outside.” (Warning: The video clip contains graphic language.)

“The man made an announcement that we needed to be close to our oxygen masks [and] proceeded to try [and] open the door,” the witness wrote. [The flight crew] then called all the ‘strong men’ to the front of the plane to restrain him. We ended up landing in OKC as it was the closest airport to us.”

Delta, however, has since said the incident was neither a hijacking nor an attempt to open any door.

Delta Plane — The Delta flight (not pictured) was diverted after an unruly passenger began fighting with the flight crew who tried to stop him from making announcements over the loudspeaker, Delta said. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

A spokesperson for Will Rogers World Airport (OKC) said the Oklahoma City Police Department was currently investigating, but declined to provide further comment.

Delta Air Lines has since confirmed the incident occurred on Delta flight 1730, which had departed from Los Angeles International Airport just before 6 p.m. PT, according to flight records. The carrier also thanked those who assisted in detaining the man.

“The aircraft landed without incident and the passenger was removed by law enforcement. We apologize to our customers for the delay and any additional inconvenience this caused.”

Friday night’s incident marks the second instance of a passenger forcing a Delta flight to divert in a week. On Friday, June 4, a flight from Los Angeles to Nashville was diverted to Albuquerque after a passenger attempted to breach the cockpit. The plane landed safely and the passenger was arrested by airport police.