Video shows Southwest passenger dragged off plane after security scare forces Atlanta landing

ATLANTA, GEORGIA: A Southwest Airlines flight heading to Florida had to make an emergency stop in Atlanta after a security scare involving a passenger. Things got tense as police stormed the plane and dragged the person off.

Mid-air disturbance triggers security response

It all happened on March 7 on a flight from Nashville to Fort Lauderdale.

The crew received word about a possible threat from someone onboard, so they decided to land early at Atlanta’s airport. Southwest said the plane touched down safely, and police were waiting to board as soon as it arrived.

After redirecting from its original flight path to Florida, Southwest Flight 2094 landed safely at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport at 9:06 pm, and a passenger was ejected from the flight by the Atlanta Police Department, FOX5 Atlanta reported.

In a video posted to X, frightened passengers on the flight can be seen raising their hands above their heads as the passenger in question is forcefully cuffed and dragged off the plane by Atlanta police officers.

Armed police officers in tactical gear can be seen yelling at the passenger, “Stand up, let’s go, stand up,” before they forcefully cuffed and dragged the man off the plane.

Passenger recalls ‘scariest’ experience on flight

Tennessee native Sarah Porter was on board the Southwest flight, heading to Florida for spring break, when the plane suddenly diverted. Porter, 15, posted a video of the ordeal on TikTok, describing it as “one of the scariest moments of my life.”

“We were told we were going to have an emergency landing 45 minutes into the flight but weren’t told what was happening or where we were landing,” Porter told The Post.

The terrified teen said she only found out that “someone dangerous” was on the flight when “the SWAT team showed up with their guns drawn” and removed a man seated three rows in front of her.

Officials initially treated the situation as a potential security threat, but investigators later determined there was no credible danger connected to the incident.

While officials did not say why they removed the passenger, Porter said he had appeared to grow agitated when his bag wouldn’t fit under the seat in front of him.

“He wasn’t yelling or anything, but I did hear that people were commenting on the size of his bag… It escalated when the flight attendant told him it wouldn’t fit under his seat and he was going to have to put it above him,” she said. The man allegedly started texting someone “threats,” which caused a nearby passenger to alert the flight crew.

After he was removed, the remaining passengers sat on the plane on the runway for more than 90 minutes, she said.

Eventually, passengers were told to deboard the plane, and police canines checked their bags before they waited another 90 minutes onboard buses on the runway, according to Porter.

Southwest Airlines said in a statement that the aircraft was diverted in order to respond to a “possible security matter,” but that company policy prohibited the company from sharing “specifics of security-related incidents."