Passenger arrested after allegedly threatening crew member, attempting to divert Mexico flight to US
SAN DIEGO (KSWB) – A Volaris flight in Mexico from Guanajuato to Tijuana was interrupted by an alleged hijacking attempt on Sunday morning by a passenger who wanted the plane diverted to San Diego.
According to a witness on the plane, a man traveling with his wife and children grabbed a flight attendant, threatened her with a pen against her neck, and grabbed the handle to the plane's door, threatening to jump to his death and take the flight attendant with him.
The witness said the man managed to get the plane door cracked open as passengers were screaming, crying and pleading with him not to open it. A passenger on the plane was able to grab him and pull him back and the crew managed to subdue the attempted hijacker, the witness said.
Some passengers who were interviewed after the flight finally landed in Tijuana said the hijacker kept saying his life, as well as his family’s, was in danger should the plane land not in the U.S.
The plane made an emergency landing in Guadalajara, Mexico, where the suspect was taken off the plane and arrested, Mexico's Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC) announced.
Volaris issued a statement about the incident, saying, in part, that the airline "apologizes for the inconvenience, and that the crew acted in accordance with established safety procedures and protocol."
The passengers and crew later continued on to their intended destination in Tijuana.