AMARILLO, TEXAS -- Update 5:20pm KVII TV
A man is now in custody after officials said he became unruly and disruptive aboard a Southwest Airlines flight Tuesday afternoon.
The plane made an emergency landing at Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport at about 3:30 p.m. It was originally reported by airport officials that the man had attempted to break in to the cockpit. Airport officials have now confirmed to Pronews 7 that he did not try to break in to the cockpit.
"The control tower initially said he was trying to break in," Rhodes said. "I can only assume that's what the aircrew told the tower. We got a report he was trying to break into the cockpit but that is inaccurate to report now."
"At about 3:30 we were notified by the air traffic control tower that a Southwest aircraft was reporting a passenger trying to break in to the cockpit," Rhodes told Pronews 7. "At that point we took appropriate measures and the individual is in custody."
Amarillo Police responded to the airport and took the subject into custody.
LINK TO AUDIO RECORDING OF INITIAL RADIO REPORT
UPDATE: Airlines flight 3683 from Los Angeles to Kansas City, officials said.
Ali Reza Shahsauri, 29, was arrested on a charge of interference with a flight crew.
Amarillo police took the man into custody and he is now being questioned by federal authorities, Rhodes said.
No one was injured.
A passenger on the aircraft, Doug Oerding said Shahsauri started screaming obsenities at passengers during the flight.
Attendants attempted to calm Shahsauri and then he went to the restroom at back of plane and started making more commotion, Oerding said.
“All of us guys were looking at him like are we going to have to do something,” Oerding said.
