A Delta Airlines co-pilot was reportedly taken into custody shortly after a flight landed at San Francisco International Airport.
Delta Flight 2809 departed from Minneapolis and successfully landed in San Francisco on Saturday, July 26. However, the events following the arrival were anything but routine.
After the aircraft had landed safely, federal agents reportedly boarded and arrested the co-pilot. At this point, the authorities have not disclosed the name of the individual.
A passenger indicated that approximately ten agents were involved in the arrest.
A representative from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in San Francisco informed the San Francisco Chronicle that they had collaborated with local authorities to execute an arrest warrant.
This was described as “an ongoing local investigation with the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office.”
Sharing the startling experience, a passenger named Sarah told ABC7: “[Agents] barged through and stormed the cockpit. They removed the co-pilot, cuffed him, presumably arrested him, and brought him back down the aisle to deplane.”
“It was scary. It was traumatic to watch,” Sarah continued. “As soon as my husband picked me up from baggage claim, I jumped in the car and cried. Because who knows what’s happening to that poor person? Why that happened? What did we just see?”
Sarah also mentioned that the other pilot and the cabin crew seemed as perplexed as the passengers during the arrest.
Another passenger, Amy, who spoke with FOX 9, noted that all the agents appeared to be armed.
“Not everybody had the same uniform on,” she said. “Some of them had a uniform that said HSI and some of the people didn’t.”
Further information about the charges against the pilot has emerged since the arrest on Saturday.
Court documents obtained by the Chronicle reveal that the pilot was taken into custody on suspicion of sexual penetration or oral copulation with a child aged 10 or younger.
The pilot is currently held at the West County Detention Facility with a bail set at $5 million.
UNILAD has reached out to HSI San Francisco, Delta Airlines, and the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office for further comments.
If any of the issues discussed in this article have impacted you, assistance is available through The National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Alternatively, you can chat online via online.rainn.org.