Southwest Flight Makes Emergency Landing After Passenger is Harassed

southwest flight forced to make emergency landing

A Southwest flight bound for Dallas from Los Angeles was forced to make an emergency landing this week after a man allegedly assaulted a woman while trying to play an unwelcome game of 'footsies' and yelled at flight attendants after the woman moved to a new seat, federal authorities said. 

According to the criminal complaint obtained by Dallas News, Justin Riley Brafford, 29, is being charged with a felony count of interference with a flight crew and a misdemeanor assault charge. 

The incident began after Brafford boarded Southwest Flight 859, from Los Angeles to Dallas on Tuesday, and selected a middle seat. A woman who sat down in the aisle seat said as the plane was getting ready to take off, Brafford put his arm on her leg. She says she leaned away and tried to ignore him. 

But, Brafford persisted. The woman later told an FBI agent later that he began "playing footsies" with her. When she asked him to stop kicking her, he began tugging on her sweater and asking personal questions like what her name was, where she lived, and whether she was staying by herself at a local hotel. 

When she declined to go out with him, Brafford allegedly whispered in her ear to "don't (expletive) with me." 

The woman then asked a flight attendant if she could change seats and move away. The flight attendant obliged, and helped move her to another seat. When the flight attendant brought her a drink later, she was crying, and said Bradford had come to her new seat to confront her according to the complaint. 

The flight attendant spoke to Brafford, who responded in a belligerent manner, cursing and yelling back at him. The flight attendant said he believed Brafford was on drugs because the man wasn't acting "like a normal person" with his attitude going "from zero to sixty in nano-seconds." 

The pilot was notified by the crew and the flight was to Albuquerque, which landed without further incident. 

During an interview with authorities, Brafford said he thought he and the woman had been friendly while watching videos on her computer. He told authorities he believed she had been flirting with him, according to the complaint and said he may have misread the situation. 

Brafford also admitted to using methamphetamines a day before the flight and had overdosed on heroin the previous Saturday, the complaint said. He also told the FBI he believed God had been speaking with him during the flight. 

Passengers eventually made it to Dallas after their flight was delayed for an hour and a half, with several people missing connecting flights. 

Southwest addressed the incident in a statement, writing that the "safety and comfort of everyone on board every operating aircraft is our highest concern."

Photo: Getty Images


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