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A Delta flight from Salt Lake City had to make an emergency landing in Oklahoma City after a drunken man from Utah reportedly hit a flight attendant, officials confirmed.
Derek Maas of Clearfield was arrested at Will Rogers Airport in Oklahoma City just after 13:45 Friday, according to the Oklahoman newspaper.
The captain of the plane, heading to Orlando, Florida, decided to have Maas removed from the flight to ensure the safety of passengers and crew members, reported The Oklahoman.
Maas, 28, would have asked to drink on the flight. A flight attendant "could be aware by behavior (Maas) that he was drunk" and told the rest of his crew not to serve the man, reported The Oklahoman.
Maas had been drinking before the flight, Delta 2603, according to USA Today.
According to The Oklahoman, he was agitated when he was denied drinks on the plane and then negotiated with the flight attendant to get two drinks. However, after slaughtering them quickly, he demanded more, the paper said.
When the flight crew members then refused him more drinks, Maas allegedly hit the flight attendant, said the sergeant. Gary Knight, of the Oklahoma City Police Department. The guard then hit Maas while several passengers were trying to restrain the man, Knight added.
Maas was finally restrained with zip fasteners until the plane landed. He remained uncooperative with the police and prison officials, said The Oklahoman. He was jailed for investigating public intoxication around 9:25 am Friday, according to USA Today.
Maas was no longer on the list of Oklahoma County Prison on Saturday morning.
Airport authorities have observed hijackings for various reasons, usually weather-related, but unruly passengers "are rather rare," said Karen Carney, spokeswoman for Will Rogers World Airport.
In a statement to USA Today, Delta Airlines officials applauded the professionalism of the flight crew and said the flight had continued until Orlando, arriving with about two hours late.
contributing: Ashton Goodell, KSL TV
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Jacob KlopfensteinSource link
