Indian American Man Arrested for Threatening to Take Down Flight He Boarded at Tampa International Airport
- Shail Patel, 29, who had bloodshot eyes and reeked of alcohol, was traveling in an American Airlines Flight 2506 from Tampa to Philadelphia.
An Indian American man was arrested at Tampa International Airport in Florida after he threatened to âtake downâ the plane. Shail Patel, 29, was traveling in an American Airlines Flight 2506 from Tampa to Philadelphia. The flight was delayed 30 minutes due to the disturbance.
Patel began to act âerraticallyâ as soon as he boarded the flight, The New York Post said, citing criminal documents. âHe had bloodshot eyes and reeked of alcohol,â the documents added. He was âyelling and cursingâ at passengers and allegedly called them âblue-eyed white devils,â adding that he was âgonna take this plane down with all you mother fâkers on it.â He allegedly slapped another person in the hand and face and spat on them.
The Post cited videos taken by passengers on the flight which show Patelâs antics. âIn one clip, Patel, dressed in a striped button-down shirt, could be heard calling a crew member a âkâe.,ââ the report says. In another video, Patel is heard shouting that heâs âtrying to get to my home country and you all people made it harder for me to get to my home country.â Another video showed âa fed-up flyer in a blue hoodie and baseball hat grabbing Patel and putting him in a headlock after a shoving match.â
Patel was arrested on two counts of battery and one count of disorderly intoxication, all misdemeanors. He remained in the Hillsboro County jail on a $2,150 bond as of arch 22.
(Top photo, Screengrab/ABC6 Action News)