At the time, 80 passengers were aboard Flight 5720, which was operating on behalf of Delta Airlines, that originally took off from San Antonio, Texas.
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The Compass Airlines plane landed in Tucson shortly before 4 p.m. and was met by a group of law enforcement officers, including airport police, Border Patrol and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Another tweet from the airport reported that passengers on the diverted flight were subsequently transported to another terminal for re-screening.
One suspect was detained and removed from the aircraft.
A subsequent tweet, only a minute later, classified the diversion to Tucson Airport as a result of “interference with flight crew”.
Schneider says when he was at the gate, a Delta flight attendant asked him up to the front desk to discuss if he’d like to go home tomorrow due to the fact that he was the only passenger on the flight. Video from on board shows a man being taken into custody Wednesday. Those on board were screened by TSA, interviewed, and then allowed to book a different flight. An older man sitting with the passenger also got up from his seat and told officers he was the younger man’s guardian. He said the man was apparently having “some sort of breakdown”.
In a series of tweets, Healy said the man was unruly on the plane and wouldn’t sit down.
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Another passenger, who was travelling with a baby, said she was scared during the ordeal. Citing “operational security”, they won’t say where the F-16s launched from. The planes were from the 162nd Fighter Wing of the Air National Guard.
