Airliner Diverts To Denver After Passenger Attempts To Open Door Mid-Flight

DENVER (CBS4) -- A 23-year-old Ohio man is in federal custody after fighting with flight attendants and passengers while attempting to open the door of a jet during a flight on Wednesday evening.

The incident occurred at 7:34 p.m. on board Spirit Airlines Flight NKS185 from Cleveland to Los Angeles, according to details in a federal court document released Friday.

Jamhir Ahmmad Williams "pulled a pin" and moved the armed lever on the door upward at 7:34 p.m. while the plane was still two hours from its destination. The door did not open, Williams was restrained by two flight attendants after a struggle and then moved away from the door with the help of the other flight attendant and passengers, as described in the criminal complaint.

Pilots diverted from the normal flight path and landed the Airbus A320 at Denver International Airport. Williams was placed in Denver Police Department custody and then transferred to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Witnesses told FBI agents that Williams emerged from the rear bathroom of the plane shirtless and shoeless, and walked directly to one of the plane's rear exit doors. The first flight attendant to notice him yelled at Williams and was ignored.

During the scuffle, two of the three flight attendants suffered minor injuries.

One of the passengers who assisted them was an off-duty police officer. He told medical personnel he had been head-butted two or three times by Williams, according to the FBI's statements. None of the passengers' injuries were serious.

Williams was sedated with five milligrams of midazolam IM by a DIA Airport Medic, the complaint stated.

In his interview with the FBI agents, Williams said he wanted to kill himself and everyone on board the plane.

Williams, a resident of Canton, Ohio, was arrested for investigation of interference with a flight crew. If found guilty, he faces a maximum penalty of $250,000 and 20 years' imprisonment.

A search of online criminal records shows Williams was arrested in 2017 by Ohio authorities and charged with felony vandalism. An online publication stated he broke windows at a McDonald's restaurant and climbed upon the roofs and hoods of vehicles.

A spokesman for Spirit Airlines told a Cleveland-based travel website that "opening a door inflight is impossible due to air pressure inside the cabin pinning the door against its frame with force stronger than any person could ever overcome."

The airline also thanked its crew members and passengers who helped resolve the situation.