A Copa Airlines passenger flying from Brazil to Panama tried to make a quick getaway through the plane's emergency exit mid-flight — but his plans were foiled when his fellow passengers tackled him to the floor.
The incident occurred on Tuesday about 30 minutes before landing when the gentleman grabbed a flight attendant and threatened her with a plastic knife while heading towards the emergency door, according to The Independent.
"A flight attendant started screaming, and another tried to hold him back, but couldn't because he was too strong," said photojournalist Cristiano Carvalho, who was onboard and happened to catch part of it on camera. (See video below, posted by The Herald Daily.)
But there's power in numbers, and when a bunch of other passengers and flight attendants piled on, the impatient traveler was left bloody and nearly unconscious.
From The Independent:
Carvalho described how passengers quickly intervened as the man reached the door, wrestling him to the floor. "They beat him a lot until he almost lost consciousness," he said. The video shows passengers holding the restrained man, his face visibly bloodied, as crew members secured his wrists with zip ties.
Upon landing, Panama's security team boarded the aircraft, taking him into custody. Copa Airlines praised the crew and passengers for their swift response, stating, "The crew acted quickly and, with the assistance of some passengers, applied the necessary safety protocols."
Previously: What would happen if you opened a plane's emergency door mid-flight
