A crazed suspect wreaked havoc for hours in Mexico when he first tried to hijack a domestic flight and then caused a military vehicle to crash after his arrest, according to reports.
The wild string of events unfolded on Sunday in the skies over Mexico.
A Volaris airline plane was en route to Tijuana from the city of León when a man reportedly tried to storm the cockpit, demanding pilots land in San Diego instead.
Witnesses say the suspect grabbed a flight attendant and jammed a pen against her neck while attempting to open a plane door.
The suspect managed to crack the door and was threatening to jump out with his hostage when passengers and crew managed to subdue him.
Footage circulating on social media shows the man being restrained as terrified travelers yell and scream in the background.
Passenger attempted to hijack a Mexican flight and fly it to the U.S. after assaulting flight attendants and tried storming the cockpit. The passengers and crew restrained him. pic.twitter.com/ULjrUCOvuv
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) December 9, 2024
“Airline personnel said the aggressor said a close relative of his had been kidnapped, and at the moment the flight lifted off from Leon, he had received a death threat if he traveled to Tijuana,” Mexico’s Public Safety Department explained in a statement.
The flight was diverted to Guadalajara and the suspect was taken into custody by the National Guard.
He was identified only as Mario N., a 31-year-old Mexican citizen who was traveling with his wife and children.
Incredibly, Mario N. reportedly continued the rampage, attempting to grab a gun from a soldier and causing the vehicle in which he was being transported to crash.
The suspect and soldiers were injured in the wreck and taken to hospital for treatment.
“Today we faced an exceptional situation on Volaris flight 3041, which was covering the El Bajío – Tijuana route. A passenger tried to divert the aircraft to the United States, but thanks to the professionalism and rapid response of our crew, the established security protocols were activated and the flight was diverted to the Guadalajara airport,” Volaris CEO Enrique Beltranena wrote on social media on Sunday.
An investigation is ongoing.