Los Angeles man who helped corral unruly passenger on Breeze Airways flight shares story

A Breeze Airways flight was diverted last week after an unruly passenger, who airline officials said was drunk and shouting obscenities, caused a scene and prevented them from landing at LAX. 

The flight was diverted to Grand Junction Airport in Colorado, where the airline loaded passengers onto a different flight. They were originally supposed to head directly from Norfolk International Airport in Virginia to LAX before the disturbance happened.

Video of the incident has since gone viral, showing one good Samaritan stepping up to put the man in his place after he broke free from zip tie restraints twice. That man is Rayshaun Riley, a security guard for the Los Angeles Unified School District.

"The linebacker dude in row 17C literally picked him up under his armpits and put him down," said one woman after landing at LAX, hours after expected. 

Riley works as a security guard at Robert E. Peary Middle School in Gardena, where he's used to helping others every day. He says that he began focusing on the man when the pilot said they were diverting to Colorado and that alcohol would no longer be served. 

"That ticked him off, so he just took all his trash that he accumulated from three hours on the flight and threw it down the aisle," Riley recalled. "I said, 'Oh man, this guy's going to be a big problem.'"

The passenger, 47-year-old Los Angeles resident David Carver Jr., is accused of making sexual comments and racial slurs while the flight was in the air, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. He faces federal charges, but the case is sealed, so additional information is not available. 

Riley said that the man took something out of his mouth and threw it before he hit one of the flight attendants' hands. 

"We 30,000 feet in the air, ain't no telling what he was gonna do," Riley said. The 6-foot-6 man stood up, approaching Carver before easily picking him up and forcing him back into an empty seat. It was finally enough to restrain him until the plane landed and police could arrive to take him into custody.

"I had no idea I lifted him off his feet until I saw that clip," he said. 

Principal Christina Green says that Riley has long been Peary Middle School's gentle giant. 

"I thought that sounds like something Mr. Riley would do to ensure everyone's safety," Green said. "He's calm, he's levelheaded, but once he sees that he needs to act, he is proactive."

Riley maintains that what he did was nothing special, and in the days since, his friends have joked with him about the ordeal. 

"They told me, 'Man, you should've already been got up,' ...  I know my strength. I know my size. I said, 'Let me see if he can settle himself down,' which he clearly didn't," Riley said.

Students at Peary Middle are proud. 

"It's good that Mr. Riley picked him up and put him in his seat, because that's what he's supposed to do," said Justin Sanchez, a Peary Middle student. He's respected the school guard since he got himself in trouble and received some advice. 

"He said, 'Go home. Be honest,'" Sanchez recalled. "I went home and told my mom the truth, and she said just don't do it again. ... Ever since then, I listen to Mr. Riley."

Both Green and Sanchez say that RIley's size alone commands respect in the halls of Peary Middle School, but it's the size of his heart that they believe matters to the staff and student body.

"He's our hero here," Green said.