A wild video captures a rowdy passenger getting pummeled after trying to open the emergency door on a flight from Brazil to Panama. The harrowing footage made its way to X, where it quickly went viral.
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VÍDEO — Passageiro tenta abrir porta de avião em voo Brasília–Panamá; Caso aconteceu na manhã da terça-feira (5), minutos antes de aeronave pousar na Cidade do Panamá. Passageiro foi detido pelas autoridades. pic.twitter.com/gDTyB5fwg3
— Nelson Carlos dos Santos Belchior (@NelsonCarlosd15) November 5, 2024
The chaotic scene erupted Tuesday morning on Copa Airlines flight CM204, traveling from Brasilia to Panama City, Panama, according to The New York Post.
Photojournalist Cristiano Carvalho, 51, captured the chaotic scene through his camera.
“A flight attendant started screaming, and another tried to hold him back, but couldn’t because he was too strong,” Carvalho recalled.
The flight was going smoothly until 30 minutes before landing when a passenger rushed to the back of the plane. He reportedly brandished a plastic knife from his food tray and tried to take a flight attendant hostage, intending to open the plane door.
“He went past the back emergency door after the warning,” Carvalho explained. “Then he started moving forward and trying to open it.”
However, at that moment, passengers sprang into action to help restrain the frenzied flyer.
The Rampaging Flyer Reportedly Suffered a Mile-High Beat Down From Fellow Passengers
Despite the crew’s initial struggle against the man’s strength, other passengers eventually helped restrain him. However, this meant something of a mile-high beat down.
“They beat him a lot until he almost lost consciousness,” Carvalho claimed.
The viral footage captures passengers restraining an enraged flyer, whose face is visibly bloodied. Meanwhile, crew members secure his wrists with zip ties.
“The national security team entered the aircraft and removed the passenger, taking him to the judicial authorities,” Copa Airlines spokesperson claimed in a statement.
Photos taken after landing reveal authorities escorting the subdued suspect off the plane in handcuffs. The airline also commended both the crew members and passengers for their collective efforts in subduing the rampaging passenger.
“The crew acted quickly and, with the assistance of some passengers, applied the necessary safety protocols to control the situation until landing in Panama,” the spokesperson added. “Thanks to the professionalism of the crew, the safety of the flight and passengers was protected.”