Mid-air chaos: LA-bound flight forced to divert due to unruly passenger; waved skateboard, shouted racial slurs

A Breeze Airways flight bound for Los Angeles was diverted to a Colorado airport after an unruly passenger , waving a skateboard and shouting racial slurs , clashed with fellow passengers and flight attendants and twice escaped his restraints, as per airline and local authorities.

Breeze Airways Flight 704, which departed Norfolk, Virginia, at 9.17 am (local time) on Wednesday, was diverted to and landed in Grand Junction, Colorado.

An "intoxicated male passenger became agitated, yelling racist slurs at airline staff while waving a skateboard. Airline staff placed the man in restraints twice, but he was able to break free both times,” stated the Grand Junction police department, which responded to the airport around 11.15 am (local time), reported ABC News.

The suspect was identified as 46-year-old David Leroy Carter of Los Angeles and was taken into custody shortly after the plane landed in Colorado, reported NBC Los Angeles.

As per crew reports, the airline said a physical altercation occurred on board, leaving one passenger and a flight attendant with minor injuries. No major injuries were reported.

"The plane was met promptly by local law enforcement officers, who restrained and removed the passenger from the aircraft," the airlines stated. "One Flight Attendant and one Guest were evaluated for minor injuries. Our focus now is on taking care of our Crew and remaining Guests who have been unfairly inconvenienced by this unfortunate event and getting them safely to their final destination as quickly as possible."

There have been accounts of 1,007 unruly passengers so far this year compared to a record 5,973 cases in 2021. The numbers fell to 2,455 in 2022, 2,076 in 2023, and 2,102 in 2024, as per the Federal Aviation Administration.