Experiencing a bad hair day took on a whole new meaning in this instance.
On Monday, 19 August, 27-year-old Eugenio Ernesto Hernandez-Garnie boarded a flight from Miami to Las Vegas with his partner Yusleydis Blanca Loyola, 32.
The situation began to unravel when crew members noticed that Hernandez-Garnier was bleeding from his head and had a ‘bloody bandage’ covering the wound, according to Local 10.
In a press release, Miami-Dade police described how flight attendants requested Hernandez-Garnier to clean up the blood and change his bandages.
However, he informed them that he did not have any clean bandages available.
Following this initial interaction, the crew requested ‘multiple times’ that the passenger disembark the plane due to concerns about ‘body fluid contamination’ from a hair transplant and his overall health.
At this point, Hernandez-Garnier and Loyola allegedly refused to leave the plane, reportedly stating: “If they could not fly, no one else can either.”
The police warned the couple repeatedly that they would be arrested for ‘trespassing’, but they chose to remain on the plane.
“After a brief moment of resisting to be handcuffed, they were subsequently placed under arrest,” the police report reads.
Officials stated that because the couple refused to leave, all passengers had to return to the terminal.
Once everyone reboarded, the flight experienced a delay.
Post-arrest, the couple was taken to Jackson West Medical Centre in Florida, where Hernandez-Garnier underwent examination.
They were then transported to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center for questioning.
Hernandez-Garnier and Loyola now face charges of trespassing after a warning and resisting an officer without violence.
American Airlines confirmed the incident, noting that the Monday night flight did not depart until early Tuesday, 20 August.
In a statement to The Independent, an airline spokesperson said: “During boarding of American Airlines flight 1858 on Aug. 19 with service from Miami (MIA) to Las Vegas (LAS), two customers became disruptive and were non-compliant with crew member instructions.
“Law enforcement responded and removed both customers from the aircraft.
“We thank our crew members for their professionalism and apologise to our customers for the inconvenience.”