Man Forces Emergency Landing, Demands Hugs, After Not Being Served a Beer

On Tuesday, a man accused of forcing an emergency landing after he was refused a beer on an Alaska Airlines flight in March pled not guilty to charges of interfering with a flight crew.

According to The Associated Press, the disgruntled passenger-identified as 32-year-old Luke Watts of Portland, Oregon-was refused a beer by the flight crew after they determined he was already drunk, according to court documents.

When Watts was refused alcohol service on the Alaska Airlines flight from Sacramento to Seattle, he threatened to become violent and then locked himself inside a bathroom. The man allegedly began to bang on the door with his hands and demanded hugs from flight attendants.

The pilot became alarmed by the passenger's potentially violent actions, and called for an emergency landing in Portland. United States Magistrate Judge John V. Acosta levied the charges of interfering with a flight crew against Watts, but allowed him to remain free while awaiting trial.

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