Passengers aboard an Alaska Airlines flight from Honolulu to San Francisco were delayed for two hours after a man locked himself inside the plane's bathroom before emerging shirtless and soaking wet prior to takeoff on September 26.
The passenger, identified as 28-year-old Thang Sang, had to be forcibly removed from the flight by law enforcement. He was charged with assault on a law enforcement officer, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
"This man is kicking, he's shouting the police have weapons on them they were scuffling in between three feet of the aisle and multiple different seats of people and children," passenger Lindsey Babb, who captured video of the incident, told KITV.
"Initially, when we saw a man exiting from the restroom appearing to be soaking wet I was trying to be silly with my girls because I knew they were equally as confused as I."
Babb joked with her two daughters, ages 9 and 11, that the man might have taken a bath in the sink.
Babb said she thought passengers should have been deplaned after the flight crew contacted law enforcement to remove the man from the lavatory.
According to the Department of Public Safety via KITV, that decision belongs to the airline. "The airline carrier takes the lead on all disturbances on their flights. Alaska Air flight 710 was attempting to depart when the disturbance happened. Whether or not to deplane passengers or call in law enforcement assistance is the decision of the carrier."
"The safety of our guests and crew is our top priority. We sincerely apologize to our guests for the inconvenience," Alaska Airlines said in a brief statement.
The incident comes less than one month after a man locked himself inside a bathroom on a Qantas Airways flight from Perth, Australia, prompting the plane to reverse course two hours into the 17-hour flight.
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