Delta plane forced to return to Houston airport after ‘unruly passenger’ disrupts flight

A Delta Airlines flight had to return to Houston shortly after takeoff due to a passenger’s “unruly and unlawful behavior,” officials said.

Delta Flight 2557 took off from Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport, headed for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport around 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, but soon after, declared an emergency and returned to the airport, Fox 26 Houston reported.

The flight was met with law enforcement upon landing. Houston police initially said they received a report that a passenger attempted to breach the cockpit.

However, Delta Airlines says the passenger approached crew members and other travelers while exhibiting “unruly and unlawful behavior,” but did not attempt to access the flight deck.

“The safety of our customers and crew is paramount, and Delta has zero tolerance for unruly behavior. We apologize to our customers for this experience and delay in their travels,” Delta told The Independent in a statement.

Josh Lamas, a passenger aboard the flight, told 11Alive he was assaulted by the passenger who caused the disturbance.

“I’m just sitting there, and a guy walks aggressively by me and aggressively back, and he bumps into my shoulder and starts wailing on my head,” Lamas said. “He punched me three times and then walked back and then started attacking another gentleman behind me.”

After the customer began exhibiting the “unruly and unlawful behavior,” the plane turned around and landed in Houston. Houston police said the passenger was removed from the plane upon landing and may have been experiencing a mental health issue.

Lamas said he did not know the man and said it seemed as though he was experiencing mental health-related issues.

“Never seen the gentleman in my life,” Lamas said. “He started screaming at the guy behind me, and kind of like in tongues. And then everyone assumed that he was just kind of not mentally there.”

Video obtained by 11 Alive also appeared to show other passengers detaining the disgruntled passenger before the plane landed.

Lamas said it took about two hours for the flight to take off again for Atlanta and in that time, he was able to have his head evaluated. He also said he plans to press charges.

The “unruly” customer has not been identified. It was not immediately clear whether they will face charges.

The Federal Aviation Administration says it is investigating the incident.