Moment police bundle raging easyJet passenger off flight at Gatwick after he 'locked himself in loos during landing' forcing pilot to keep plane in air for extra 40 minutes

  • EXCLUSIVE: Furious passenger had been flying from Faro, Portugal to Gatwick 
  • Passengers said the man was 'quiet all the flight' before seatbelt sign turned on
  • Captain was forced to abort the landing and spent extra 40 minutes in the air 
  • Passenger Tom Porter, 24, an estate agent from Chichester, filmed parts of the 20-minute struggle with the cops - inside and outside the cabin on May 18.  

This is the moment a furious passenger was bundled off a plane by three policemen after he allegedly locked himself in the loos during landing.

Passengers said the man was 'quiet all the flight' from Faro, Portugal to Gatwick, until the seatbelt signs came on, and he demanded to go to the toilet.

He apparently forced his way to the back of the plane and into the cubicle despite protests from staff, where he locked himself in for ten minutes.

By the time Easyjet staff got him out, the captain was forced to abort the landing, and then spent an extra 40 minutes in the air and on the runway, onlookers said.

The man throws his weight downwards to make it hard for police to move him, and he can be seen squirming as they try to handcuff him

The man is bundled off the Easyjet flight by three policemen. Passengers say the man was 'quiet all the flight' from Faro, Portugal to Gatwick, until the seatbelt signs came on, and he demanded to go to the toilet

Onlookers claim he tried to escape to the loos twice more after cops were called while the plane sat on the runway.

And a video shows the moment he's confronted by three police officers.

The man can be heard talking to the cops, who ask him to 'come and have a chat' because he was 'obstructive on the flight'.

A member of the public, who assists the police officers by holding the man from behind, can be heard saying: 'If you try to bite me, you'll get a punch in the face'

A member of the public, who assists the police officers by holding the man from behind, can be heard saying: 'If you try to bite me, you'll get a punch in the face'

He then asks in disbelief: 'Are you kidding me?'

The police ask him to stand up, only for the man to resist and say 'p*** off' - at which point, the cops make the decision to arrest him.

A member of the public, who assists the police officers by holding the man from behind, can be heard saying: 'If you try to bite me, you'll get a punch in the face'.

The man throws his weight downwards to make it hard for police to move him, and he can be seen squirming as they try to handcuff him.

At various points, the man tells the police to 'p*** off'.

Once police have moved him towards the front end of the aisle, the passengers - some seated, some standing - applaud.

Passenger Tom Porter, 24, an estate agent from Chichester, filmed parts of the 20-minute struggle with the cops - inside and outside the cabin on May 18.

Tom, who was coming home from a golfing holiday with his father and two uncles, said: 'He was this angry, wild animal, and didn't want taming.

'He was obviously really angry when the air stewards blocked him from locking himself in the bathroom after he knew police were coming.

'And then he sat for around 15 minutes just diagonally away from me, glaring at people, swearing at anyone who looked at him and telling them to die if they made eye contact.

Once police have moved him towards the front end of the aisle, the passengers - some seated, some standing - applaud

Once police have moved him towards the front end of the aisle, the passengers - some seated, some standing - applaud

'To be honest, the whole episode was shocking, and not what you want to see.

'We were all glad the police took him away, and to see the back of him.'

Tom said the man, who was sat around five rows from the front of the plane, was apparently quiet all the flight and only kicked off in the final descent around 10.40pm.

When he told cabin crew that he needed the toilet, 'they weren't happy' but he forced his way to the back of the plane and locked himself in the cubicle for 10 minutes.

Four air stewards - three women and one male - knocked on the door every couple of minutes, requesting that he take his seat again for the landing.

When this failed, the crew opened the toilet door, and the man - stood fully clothed facing them - screamed: 'Why won't you let me go for a piss?' according to Tom.

The man took his seat, but cabin crew hadn't secured the cabin in time, so aborted the landing, he said, and the plane ascended again.

Tom said 'everyone was terrified at that point, because we could see the lights below and we didn't know what was going on'.

Passenger Tom Porter, 24, an estate agent from Chichester, films parts of the 20-minute struggle with the cops - inside and outside the cabin on May 18

Passenger Tom Porter, 24, an estate agent from Chichester, films parts of the 20-minute struggle with the cops - inside and outside the cabin on May 18

After an extra 15 minutes in the air, the plane finally landed in Gatwick but taxied for 'quite a while' - around 10 minutes driving and 15 minutes stationary.

Tom said the captain told the passengers to stay in their seats because police were coming to escort the man away.

The man, 'clearly unsettled by the announcement', tried to lock himself in the bathroom again twice in 15 minutes - but his path was blocked by a male air steward.

Two policemen and one policewoman boarded the plane and took the struggling man off in handcuffs when he resisted their orders.

In two separate videos, the man can be seen walking in handcuffs outside the passenger airline - and even tries to block the doorway with his legs.

He was then put in the back of a police van and taken away.

The police ask him to stand up, only for the man to resist and say 'p*** off' - at which point, the cops make the decision to arrest him

The police ask him to stand up, only for the man to resist and say 'p*** off' - at which point, the cops make the decision to arrest him

Tom described the yob as 5ft10in with short brown hair and in his 30s, and said he was 'stocky and strong, like a raging bull who'd have caused serious damage'.

A spokeswoman for easyJet said: 'easyJet can confirm that the Captain of flight EZY8926 from Faro to London Gatwick on May 18 requested police to meet the aircraft on arrival due to the disruptive behaviour of a passenger during the descent.

'While such incidents are rare we take them very seriously, do not tolerate abusive or threatening behaviour on board and always push for prosecution.

'easyJet's cabin crew are trained to assess and evaluate all situations and to act quickly and appropriately to ensure that the safety of the flight and other passengers is not compromised at any time.

'Safety is always easyJet's highest priority.'

A spokesman for Sussex Police said: 'On Saturday May 18, police were made aware of an incident on board an easyJet flight from Faro to Gatwick Airport. 

'The suspect was arrested on arrival. Kieran Crowley, 44, unemployed, of Howell Walk, London, has been arrested and charged with using threatening or abusive words or behaviour which were racially aggravated, behaving in a threatening, abusive, insulting or disorderly manner towards a member of aircraft crew, two counts of assault on an emergency worker (two police officers) and assault on an emergency worker (a police officer) in the exercise of their duty. 

'The defendant has been released on bail and is due to appear before Crawley Magistrates' Court on 19 June.' 

 

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