Flight forced to land at Little Rock airport

FBI probes report of assault onboard

A Southwest Airlines jet taxis as it prepares to take off from Love Field in Dallas in this June 24, 2020 file photo. (AP/Tony Gutierrez)
A Southwest Airlines jet taxis as it prepares to take off from Love Field in Dallas in this June 24, 2020 file photo. (AP/Tony Gutierrez)


FBI investigators were looking into a report of an assault on an airplane that made an emergency landing Saturday afternoon at Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport/Adams Field, a spokesman said.

Agency spokesman Connor Hagan said it was his understanding that one person was in FBI custody after an alleged assault aboard the plane forced it to make an emergency landing in Little Rock.

The plane landed in Little Rock at 3:35 p.m., airport spokesman Shane Carter wrote in an email to an Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reporter. One passenger was taken to an area hospital for treatment, although it was not clear what injuries the passenger had.

Crew members on Southwest Airlines Flight 192 from Houston to Columbus, Ohio, noticed "unruly behavior" from a passenger and followed company policy by diverting the airplane to Little Rock, according to a statement from the airline. It went on to say that Little Rock authorities removed the passenger.

It was not clear if the passenger removed was the same one taken to a hospital. The flight continued to its original destination after the incident, Carter wrote.

Federal agents were working with Little Rock police, airport authorities and the airline to investigate the incident, according to a statement from the FBI that Hagan provided.

The FBI is the primary federal agency authorized to investigate potential assault aboard aircraft violations, according to the agency's statement.


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