United Airlines pilot filmed chopping at parking gate with ax had hit a 'breaking point,' he told deputies
(NEXSTAR) – A pilot with United Airlines is currently on leave after footage of him chopping at a parking lot gate with an ax went viral last week.
Kenneth Henderson Jones, 63, allegedly gave the gate a series of whacks after hitting his “breaking point” while waiting to exit an employee parking area at the Denver International Airport, the Adams County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a report shared with the Associated Press.
Jones told deputies he became upset after seeing multiple cars backed up behind all three of the lot’s exit lanes, the AP reported.
The incident, which took place August 2, was captured in footage obtained by Nexstar’s KDVR. In the video clip, a man dressed in a pilot’s uniform can be seen repeatedly chopping at the gate with an ax. It only breaks and falls to the ground after rising to let a truck pass through.
The man then moves out of the lanes of traffic and appears to walk back into the parking lot.
Afterward, an employee of the parking lot reportedly confronted Jones and took the ax during a “scuffle,” the AP reported.
Jones was apprehended by Denver police shortly afterward and charged with criminal mischief, the Adams County Sheriff’s Office confirmed.
In a statement shared with Nexstar, United Airlines said Jones has been “removed from the schedule and is on leave” while the airline investigates.