Man Accused Of Threatening Alaska Air Flight Appears In Court

SEATTLE, WA — The man accused of threatening his fellow passengers aboard a flight departing Sea-Tac appeared in a Seattle courtroom for the first time Monday.

The incident in question happened Saturday, aboard Alaska Airlines Flight 422. The plane had taken off from Sea-Tac for Chicago at around 11 p.m. without a hitch, but mid-flight, one man got out of his seat and began shouting and threatening other passengers.

According to court documents, police interviewed a passenger aboard the plane, who said the man at one point yelled "you're all going to die tonight" in the packed cabin. That witness told officers he believed the man had intended to open the emergency door while the jet was in flight. Other witnesses reported the man telling them he would kill everyone on board "in the name of Jesus."

After the commotion began, two passengers and an off-duty law enforcement officer aboard the flight reportedly wrestled the man to the ground, and the plane turned around back to Sea-Tac. When it landed, the first officers on scene walked on to the jet to find that the plane's staff had restrained the man by buckling him face down across a row of seats. He was later taken from the plane by wheelchair. All the passengers aboard the plane were then booked on the next available flights to Chicago.

Monday, the man appeared in court for the first time at the King County Jail, where prosecutors asked he be held on $100,000 bail. The judge agreed and found probable cause for an investigation into felony harassment. Prosecutors say he is likely to be charged sometime later this week. He had no prior record according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office.