A 32-year old man from Portland, Oregon is facing federal charges after he tried to open an emergency exit on a Delta airplane mid-flight last week.
Michael Brandon Demarre told police that he was attempting to create a viral spectacle so he could have “the opportunity to share his thoughts on COVID-19 vaccines,” according to The Washington Post.
A press release from the Department of Justice provides details on the bizarre incident:
According to court documents, on February 11, 2022, while on a Delta Airlines flight from Salt Lake City to Portland, Demarre attempted to open the aircraft’s emergency exit door while it was in flight. According to witness statements taken by police, Demarre removed the plastic covering over the emergency exit handle and forcefully pulled on the handle. A flight attendant demanded Demarre cease touching the handle and move to the rear of the aircraft. Demarre complied and was physically restrained by the flight crew. Once in Portland, Demarre told officers he created the disturbance so other passengers would video record him sharing his personal views.
“This was a very dangerous offense that endangered the lives and safety of the people on that plane and put many of them in a fearful situation,” assistant U.S. Attorney Mira R. Chernick told a judge Monday, adding that passengers said they heard “a loud air whooshing as the defendant yanked on the door repeatedly.”
“We’re all being lied to, wake up!” Demarre shouted as police escorted him off the plane after it landed safely in Portland.
The Post adds:
Some witnesses told authorities that Demarre may have been suffering a mental health crisis, but it remains unclear. Demarre is on probation for a 2020 conviction for driving under the influence of intoxicants and has a separate criminal mischief conviction from last year, the Oregonian reported.
It is not the first time in recent months that a passenger has tried to open the emergency door on a plane. An American Airlines passenger was arrested in September after he opened an aircraft’s emergency exit door and jumped on the wing of the plane as it arrived at Miami International Airport.
There has been a sharp increase in unruly airline passenger behavior during the pandemic. In 2021, 5,981 unruly passenger reports were filed. Seventy percent of them were related to mask-wearing.
NPR reports on one recent example:
An unruly passenger on a flight bound from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., tried to open the door of the aircraft on Sunday, causing the plane to divert to Kansas City, Mo.
The passenger, who also tried to rush the cockpit, attempted to open the forward passenger door before a flight attendant used a coffeepot to subdue the individual, according to a spokesperson for the Association of Professional Flight Attendants.
“It felt like the plane was free falling and many feared the worst because people weren’t fully aware of what was unfolding,” tweeted a passenger on the flight, who described the unruly passenger as a middle-aged man. The flight attendant reportedly struck the man multiple times with the coffeepot while passengers restrained him.
