Passenger held at LAX after opening emergency exit: police

(KTLA) – A passenger was detained at Los Angeles International Airport Saturday morning after they allegedly opened the emergency exit door as their plane was preparing for takeoff.

The unidentified person allegedly opened the exit door as the Delta aircraft was being pushed away from the gate, which caused the emergency slide to deploy, Capt. Karla Rodriguez of the Los Angeles Airport Police told Nexstar’s KTLA in a statement.

“Airport police responded and detained the passenger for further investigation. Due to the circumstances, FBI has been notified,” Rodriguez added.

After the door was opened, the plane returned to the gate, and the other passengers were able to board another plane and continue their flight to Seattle.

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Earlier this month, a Massachusetts man was charged for allegedly trying to open an emergency exit door and attempting to stab a flight attendant multiple times.

The Federal Aviation ministration investigated more than 800 reports of unruly passenger behavior last year. Though vastly higher than in past years, it was a decrease compared to the 1,099 investigations in 2021.

Anisha Banerjee and Jeremy Tanner contributed to this report.